If Vlad Wasn't a Fruitloop
by Specter14
Summary: How would the DP series have been different if Vlad wasn't such a Fruitloop? In this story, the series will be rewritten as if he /wasn't/ an evil madman bent on making Danny's life miserable. Mainly including a teacher/student relationship with our two favorite half-ghosts! No slash! Of Fruitloops and Badgers is a related one-shot series.
1. Not-So-Bitter Reunions

_**EDIT 8/13/17: I finally am getting around to editing some earlier chapters (just to correct some grammar mistakes and such, as well as fix the general sentence structure that I didn't do well the first time). Seriously, this chapter is the first impression of this whole story and here I was with the word "Danny" like 5 times in a single 3-line paragraph... (whyyy me from a year ago, why would you do that?) I thought I was better at writing than that tbh, even when I first started this series... Welp time to fix that and make everything better! :) So keep a lookout for the "EDIT" things to show which chapter's I've gone through!**_

 **Hello to anyone who is actually reading this!** **:)** **I've gotten hooked on several fanfics that have Vlad being nice to Danny, so I've decided to make a series myself about it. This is the first time I've written DP fan fiction, but I am no stranger to the fandom; just look at my massive list of favorited stories, for Pete's sake, lol.**

 **You can look on my profile to see the order of the episodes I plan to rewrite. They're pretty much all the ones with Vlad in them… We'll see how easily I can change them but still make them believable…**

 **ALSO, I've changed a few things about Vlad. Instead of Skulker being his ally, they're more like enemies now. I sort of figured that since Skulker wants to hunt Danny so much, he probably would have hunted Vlad, too, before Vlad got so powerful. So, we'll see how that works out.**

 **Enjoy! :D**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or the characters from the show. The only thing I own is the plot (or at least part of it).**

* * *

 **Not-So-Bitter Reunions**

 **RECAP: A few nights before, the three ghost vultures were looking for Jack Fenton. Danny chased them away, but he still wondered who was out to get his father. The Fenton family had arrived at Vlad's mansion the day before.**

A breath of blue, icy air made Danny shiver in his sleep, causing him to flinch awake. Blinking a few times in the dark room, he came to his senses.

"Oh great, just what I need. A working vacation," He grumbled to himself. The bright white rings formed at his chest and split up and down, leaving an annoyed Danny Phantom in their place.

The Fenton family had arrived at the mansion of Vlad Masters the previous day. There was one thing for sure; Danny sensed something majorly off about Vlad. His words were friendly enough (most of the time, at least), but it was his tone and body language that made the boy slightly suspicious. Every now and then, Danny happened to look over when the man was grinning almost evilly. It honestly gave the halfa a bad feeling about coming to Wisconsin in the first place.

The glowing ghost boy shook out of his thoughts and flew up out of the luxurious bed, sleepily zipping to the wall and turning intangible to move swiftly into the hallway.

He whipped his head to the right and saw the large, stocky figure of his dad, Jack Fenton, stumbling down the hall mumbling something about the bathroom. Right behind him were the three ghost vultures from a few nights before. The ghost boy wondered how they ended up in Vlad's mansion in the first place, but at least now he could give them the beating they deserved for messing with his dad. Danny sank through the floor and grabbed the large man around the ankles. He gently flew him down through the floor and into a bathroom, turning invisible and flying away before his dad could turn around.

 _Now to deal with those vultures_ , he thought. He flew quickly back up through the floor and appeared behind the birds.

"Hi guys, remember me?" Danny snarked, hitting his fist into his other palm and tried to look dangerous (key word: _tried_ ). The ghostly birds gasped and split up in different directions through the walls, and it appeared they had no intention to return. Phantom frowned a little and mumbled, "Okay, that was almost _too_ easy..."

He spun around slowly, looking for any other ghosts or the vultures again. Seeing nothing, he shrugged and returned to his room for the night. Once the youngest Fenton got under the covers and put his head down, his ghost sense went off again.

"Oh come on, _again_?!" Danny transformed back into Phantom for the second time in a span of five minutes and rolled his eyes, annoyed with life. "What ghost could possibly be here _now?!_ "

"We meet again, Ghost Boy," A figure phased through the wall of his room, the green flames casting a creepy green glow on the purple walls. Slitted green eyes glared at Danny's wide ones. "Are you ready to be hung on my wall where you belong?"

"Skulker," The half-ghost hissed, floating out of bed and into a defense position, "Number one, _no_ , and number two, I don't know how you found me, but you're going down!" With a quiet yell of determination (he was aware that everyone else in the house was most likely sleeping, and it wouldn't be good at all for his parents to interrupt this fight...), the white-haired ghost lunged at the Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter.

Skulker's suit expanded on both sides to reveal more than a dozen rockets, which lit up and flew forward, straight toward the hero.

Danny turned intangible and let the rockets phase right through him. He didn't consider the effect, though, which happened to be the destruction of the wall behind him.

Several crashes shook the room. The boy flinched, hoping that _by chance_ , no one had heard that, and flew through the ceiling, Skulker following closely behind. Soon the two ghosts emerged into the night sky, facing each other.

"Is that all you got, Phantom?" Skulker grinned and took out a glowing sword. The halfa frantically dodged the sword and sent a ghost ray toward the hunter, which unfortunately missed by a couple feet. The robotic ghost smiled to himself and grabbed onto Danny's leg, roughly throwing him down onto the pavement. The ghost boy couldn't turn intangible in time and created a slight dent in the asphalt, groaning as he tried to sit up.

"Pretty pathetic fight, Whelp," The metallic-suited ghost cackled, "Prepare to become my most prized pelt!"

Blearily opening his eyes and trying to ignore his massive headache, Phantom stared in horror at the glowing green net coming toward him. He tried to squirm away, but before he could move he heard a metallic clang. He whipped his head up to see that Skulker had been blasted aside by an unfamiliar figure in the distance. The dark, ghostly form had glowing red eyes and hair fashioned into two spikes pointing upwards. Any other details were indistinguishable because of the lack of light. Danny gasped and watched the ghost curiously, wondering why it had saved him.

"Get lost, Hunter." The new ghost growled with a slightly familiar voice. "This is not your domain. I suggest you leave before I shove you out myself."

"Plasmius," Skulker rolled his bright green eyes and activated his rocket boosters, preparing to fly away. "I apologize for invading your haunt," the sarcasm almost seemed to drip from his low voice. He looked to Danny and glared ferociously, "We'll meet again Phantom, and next time your pelt will be mine!" He blasted off and disappeared into the night sky. The ghost boy's vision blackened and he wished with all his heart that the other ghost wouldn't take advantage of the situation. He didn't even feel his head hit the pavement before he passed out.

* * *

Vlad, despite his blatant hatred for Jack, who honestly deserved it (at least in Vlad's opinion), was a reasonable man. He let out a quiet _hmm_ as he sipped his black coffee. The clock read 2:34 a.m., and the billionaire _should_ have been getting quality sleep before the big reunion the next day, but sleep hadn't come easily to him ever since, well, the accident 20 years ago. So, by now, he was used to having sleepless nights.

The middle-aged man sighed softly and tapped his fingers on the mahogany desk, staring blankly at the papers that sat on it. He really should be finishing up this paperwork to finalize his new company, VladCo, but he had too many things on his mind tonight. Namely, the Fentons, more specifically Maddie, his only true love. While thinking of Maddie, Vlad allowed a smile to appear on his face. It was the first time he had seen her lovely self in person ever since... that fateful day in college. Or possibly once or twice in the hospital afterwards, but those days were all a blur to the halfa.

His thoughts were rudely interrupted by a loud _crash_ , soon followed by his warm red ghost sense. Vlad jumped up and turned toward the noise, using his ghost side's good sense of hearing to listen intently. He could vaguely hear a few voices, but who exactly they belonged to was unknown. He took a running leap into the air and watched as the black rings split across his body, turning him into Vlad Plasmius. He flew directly up and within seconds the black-haired halfa appeared into the chilly night air, red eyes widening at the scene before him.

Skulker, who he would recognize from any distance at this point, made him clench his gloved hands into fists. The hunter had hunted the human-ghost hybrid for almost the first 10 years of having his powers, and let's just say some things will never be forgotten. Skulker was definitely one of the man's least favorite foes because of his unbelievable determination to get his _pelt_ , of all things. Vlad shuddered to himself and started as the other ghost was thrown to the ground, the dreadful sound of cracking pavement ringing through the air. The half-ghost flinched and flew forward a bit. He recognized that ghost too; it was one of the newest ghosts, Danny Phantom, the one that "used his powers for good." Vlad scoffed to himself. Nothing was all "good" or all "bad," for the world was never black and white. The billionaire, after years of learning this himself, now knew that trying to play the hero role almost never worked out well for anyone. Plus, why would a normal ghost want to protect humans against others of his own kind?

Vlad halted his thoughts and intervened the fight with a pink blast to Skulker's chest, "Get lost, hunter. This is not your domain. I suggest you leave before I shove you out myself." The blue-skinned ghost threatened, glaring pointedly at the metal suit.

"Plasmius," the dry sarcasm made Vlad's skin crawl. "I apologize for invading your _haunt_." The last word almost made the halfa go and strangle Skulker, but he managed to control himself, if only barely. He tried to focus on the ghost boy, whose bright green eyes were staring directly at Vlad with curiosity and slight fear.

Skulker snapped something to the ghost boy and blasted off. Plasmius began to float down to the boy to help him up, despite his distaste of the naive child. But before he could move any closer, the white-haired teenager passed out before his eyes. Seconds after, a ring of white light lit up around his still waist, and it split and slowly made its way across both ends of his body. All Vlad could make out was pink pajamas and a dark-raven mop of hair. Vlad gasped. Another half-ghost? At his mansion, of all places?

Vlad rushed down and recognized the boy as soon as his ghostly glow cast light on the boy's face. The man couldn't breathe. Jack's son... was a _halfa_? Just like Vlad? The elder ghost-human hybrid felt rage force red into his vision. The bumbling idiot not only ruined his (former) best friend's life, but his _own son_ 's also? He felt even more hate for Jack than ever before as he gently scooped the boy into his arms.

The billionaire blew out a breath of air and shook his head. Now he wasn't the only one suffering through life as a half-ghost. Now he had someone to relate to and who he could possibly even teach. Vlad knew he could make this into a good thing, somehow, some way.

* * *

Danny mumbled as he awoke, "No... Get away!" He jumped out from his covers, breathing heavily.

"Huh? Where am I?" He looked around the room and found it to be the same one he had been in last night, though he openly flinched when he saw the ruined wall. A quick look at the clock told him that it was about 4:00 in the morning. The ghost boy frowned, "What happened?"

"Is anything wrong my boy?" Vlad Masters walked into the room from the open doorway with a questioning look on his face. But Danny could also see a bit of nervousness, which confused him slightly.

"I... must have been worn out from the long car trip..." The messy-haired boy came up with an explanation and nervously rubbed his neck with one hand. "I-I'll be ok in the morning, heh. I'm sorry for the scare..." He clutched the blanket, hoping Mr. Masters bought it, and by all means, didn't look at the far wall.

"Oh, what's a little scare between friends, son?" The billionaire smiled a little, going with the act. He just couldn't bring himself to reveal the truth at that moment. He backed out of the room and watched as Danny put his head back down on the pillow.

The events of the past night troubled Vlad greatly. He had hated Jack for the better part of 20 years, yet... finding out that the large man's son has been turned into a half-ghost, like the had himself... It made Vlad feel sympathetic for the young boy. At least the older half-ghost had been in college when he got his powers; Daniel was only a young teenager, not to mention he had ghost hunters for _parents_. The man shook his head; He couldn't imagine living in a house as a halfa with two ghost hunters and several ghost defense systems, and having to constantly lie to your parents and make up excuses for anything ghost-related... Vlad had definitely had a hard time when he was completely on his own, but he knew Danny must have it hard, too, with people who would possibly _kill_ him if they knew the truth.

Vlad continued walking to his study and sat down in his chair. He stroked his chin halfheartedly and gazed down at the untouched papers from several hours ago.

What if he could take his view off of getting revenge on Jack, and move it to becoming a friend and mentor to Danny?

He had been planning what he would do to the idiot for years... He couldn't just drop everything for that very man's son!

 _Or could he_...?

What if being somewhat of an "uncle" figure to Danny, and possibly Jazz, would make dear Maddie happy?

Vlad knitted his eyebrows and looked blankly at the papers in front of him.

And if letting go the anger and resentment toward Jack would in turn make Maddie and Danny happier?

The grey-haired man looked up towards the closed wooden door and sighed to himself. He had made his decision...

* * *

The next morning, Danny walked into the reunion with his parents, after checking on Jazz in the Movie Room, of course. The room was filled with unfamiliar adults, who talked and laughed with each other.

"Hey, Harrie!" Jack called out cheerfully. A woman in green seemed to choke and mumble under her breath before walking over.

"Jack, Maddie... How nice..." She said, obviously thinking the opposite.

"Danny, meet Harriet Chin." Danny's father said, "She's a big-shot reporter for the Milwaukee Journal now, but back in my college days she was just Harrie! Harrie Chin!" Jack laughed to himself. "Get it?"

Maddie quickly apologized to the annoyed college classmate, but Danny didn't make out what was said.

Then, the two Fenton parents went off to "pogo" to some song that was apparently "Jack's song."

"Okay," The black-haired boy sighed, "I'm officially mortified." He almost missed Harriet's answer when he trudged to the corner and sat down at the food table, watching the party with boredom.

* * *

Vlad saw his chance from across the party to speak with the recently revealed half-ghost alone. He made his way over and put a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Well, son, you're looking much better." The man commented, trying to figure out what to say next. After a moment, he took the risk. "I was wondering if you could... come with me for a moment... I really do want to, er, get to know the son of my... _best pal_... more..." Vlad almost shuddered at the last part... Not hating Jack as much would definitely take some getting used to. Thankfully, Danny didn't seem to notice and answered with a smile.

"Oh, sure Mr. Masters, but... call me Danny. Son's what my dad calls me." He said awkwardly, hoping Vlad wouldn't take offense.

"Oh yes, yes, of course..." The billionaire said, faking a smile. He stated to walk towards the open doors, and breathed a silent breath of relief upon seeing the bored boy follow, oblivious to what the purpose of the talk was. Vlad just hoped it didn't end in a disaster.

Before going through the door, elder halfa turned his head to look at Maddie one more time before leaving the room. He knew it was most likely all _Jack_ 's fault for wrecking the young Daniel's life, but he couldn't help but wonder if the female ghost hunter was somewhat responsible too. The idea saddened him, causing him to shake his head and continue out the door with Danny in tow.

The man led the younger male to a relatively open room down the hall and motioned to two chairs in a corner of the room, and the two sat down simultaneously.

"So, Mr. Masters," Danny said slowly, crossing his legs and trying to make the whole thing less awkward, "What did you wanna talk about?"

"... Well, Daniel," Vlad started, "Last night I heard some strange things from upstairs..."

The boy's eyes widened the smallest bit. "Oh... Really? Because, well... I... didn't hear a thing... Sure was a peaceful night for me... Heh..." He looked down and twiddled his thumbs. He hoped Vlad got off this subject soon so he wouldn't have to keep making up stuff that could end up contradicting itself...

"Well you see," The older man started again, "I made my way outside to see what all the ruckus was about, and it turns out that it was two ghosts fighting with each other above my mansion!" He tried to sound surprised and slightly fearful. "Oh it was terrifying... One of them had green flames for hair and a metal suit, and... the other had bright white hair and the strangest attire... A black and white HAZMAT suit, if I remember correctly…" Vlad internally bit his lip as he looked for Danny's reaction.

The ghost boy was (understandably) freaking out inside. So Mr. Masters had seen part of the fight? _What if he had been there at the end and seen me?_ He thought in horror. _That must be what this is about... He must have seen me transform from Phantom to Fenton!_

Vlad, seeing Danny's terrified expression, flinched and tried to say more. "Listen young Daniel... Everything is going to be kept between me and you all right?" He put his hands up slowly and met Danny's eyes.

"... So now you know, huh..." The youngest Fenton guessed quietly, tensing up and wringing his hands. Vlad nodded slowly, wondering if the black-haired boy would try to make a run for it.

"Listen to me, Little Badger," Danny made a slight face at the name, and Vlad barely managed to hide a smile at the reaction. "I was the one who put you back in bed after you, well, weren't able to do it yourself. Can't have your parents questioning why you slept on the driveway last night, can we?" He meant that as a joke, but the teenager flinched a little.

"W-what makes you think my parents don't know?" He stuttered, but flinched again when Vlad chuckled a little and shot a knowing look to the younger halfa. "Plus why aren't you asking all sorts of questions right now? Aren't you wondering about... well, how I'm a... how I turned into a... well, you know..."

Vlad tried to think of something to say. But he ended up sighing and looking down as he changed into his ghost persona, Vlad Plasmius, with the usual two rings of darkness, very similarly to the younger ghost hybrid's transformation the night before. Danny leapt up in surprise and stared at him in awe, immidiately recognizing the ghost that had saved him the night before.

The next few moments were silent as the two studied each other. Vlad swiftly changed back and settled back down, smiling a little at the younger halfa.

"I-I can't believe it... I'm not the only one that's...?" Danny couldn't finish.

"That's been turned half-ghost by your, er, _overzealous_ father?" Vlad said, "Yes, now there are two of us, I suppose."

The boy stared incredulously for a few moments and then began laughing. The billionaire looked at him in a mix of shock and confusion at the unexpected response.

"What?" Vlad demanded in bewilderment, "What's so funny?"

"A-all this time," Danny chuckled and shook his head, "I should have realized the moment Mom told me about your accident, that you could have been..." He trailed off and caught his breath. The younger halfa looked up and smiled so brightly at Vlad, it made the older man smile too.

In fact, Vlad couldn't remember the last time he had smiled this much. His face was actually starting to hurt.

Nonetheless, the older half-ghost figured this would be the beginning of a very _interesting_ friendship.

* * *

Later that evening, after the (surprisingly normal) reunion had ended and everyone was on their way home except the Fenton family, the two ghost hybrids discretely caught each other's gaze and stepped aside from the rest of the group.

The younger halfa wanted to say something, but couldn't think of any words to say, so he just peered up gratefully at the older man.

"I suppose we'll see each other again, Little Badger?" The older man said with a slight questioning tone, smiling at the face the boy made a second time at the nickname.

"I hope so Fruitloop." Danny agreed with a grin, thinking of what he would tell his friends about the encounter. He knew one thing for sure; his life would definitely be different from now and on with Vlad on his side.

* * *

Clockwork smiled at the different timeline, shifting from his child to his middle-aged form. The Master of Time observed the scene for another moment and then nodded to himself, satisfied with his work.

 _"All is as it should be."_

* * *

 **…** **Soo… Thoughts? Questions? Flames even? I'd love to hear anything in a review. Thanks for reading! I'll be working on the next chapter, which I plan to be Shades of Grey and then Maternal Instincts. Again, you can find the full list on my profile. I also plan to write some extra scenes to make it flow a little more, you know, so Vlad's new role will be more developed throughout the series.**

 **Anyway, I hope this turned out all right for a newbie. I apologize if the characters are a little (or a lot) OOC. Hopefully as I continue writing, I can write about them better.**

 **R &R please! :) :)**


	2. Meeting Masters

_**EDIT 8/18/17: fixed any grammar/spelling mistakes, made sure names weren't repeated too many times, changed conversations a bit to make them flow better**_

 **Hey, I'm back with another installment of: If Vlad Wasn't a Fruitloop! :D**

 **Welcome all! I can't believe it… I actually got reviews and follows and favorites OH MY! Thanks to everyone who reviewed and even read this at all.**

* * *

 **To** **Mistress Soul** **: Thanks for reading and reviewing! It is a good change from most of the fanfics on here… Not to say they're bad or anything. I just kinda wish more people considered this idea… Anyway, thanks for being the first to review! Hope you like this chapter!**

 **To** **The Overlord of Fiction** **: Thanks for reading and enjoying my attempt at this, lol! I hope you like this chapter too!**

 **To** **DannyPhantomPhantom** **: Thanks for reviewing! And about your question, I thought it would be funny to have them both refer to each other by their respective nicknames, despite Vlad's un-Fruitloopy-ness. I'm sorry if that seems strange… If it doesn't work out in the end I can always go back and change it. Also, it is very refreshing to know that Clockwork approves of my alternate timeline! xD Thanks again and I hope you like this chapter also!**

 **To** **Invader Johnny** **: Haha, I love that closing thing! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! I have too; I've always loved reading stories like this one, but sadly there aren't many, and the ones I found didn't end or go the way I wanted them to… So I made this! Sometimes if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself, right? Haha, thanks again and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **To** **Guest** **(You probably know who you are!): Thanks for R &Ring! Haha, yeah I'd love to write about Dani too, but I just have to think of a way to get Vlad to make her, like, by accident or something… Hopefully I'll come up with a believable idea before then. I wish Vlad wasn't so cruel to her in the actual series. Anyway, thanks for offering! If you have any ideas about how to write the chapters after Maternal Instincts, I'd love to hear it! I already have a phantom (haha) of a plot for that one, but I haven't thought much about after that. Thanks again! ****:)**

 **Also, thanks to** **Sockenmonster01** **,** **RangerHorseTug** **,** **Force Smuggler** **,** **Mistress Soul** **,** **FanfictionAddict13** **,** **DannyPhantomPhandom** **,** **Slaycer** **,** **Invader Johnny** **,** **EmeraldTooth** **,** **Professor Cuddles , and rachelapril1006** **for following and/or favoriting this! I almost DROWNED in alert emails yesterday and this morning! Thanks so much guys!**

 **Special thanks to Professor Cuddles for faving and following me as an author, too! It's just the ****_first chapter_** **and someone already chose to do that! SQUEEEE! Like seriously, this stuff never happened (at least this quickly) on my last account…**

* * *

 **ANYWAY, that's all for my gigantic Author's Note (though probably not the longest you've ever seen…). Props to anyone who actually read it all the way through.**

 **Get ready for the first filler chapter before the rewrite of** **Blazes of Grey** **next chapter!** **J** **Don't worry, they will both be posted today. I hope you can stand this much of Vlad's un-Fruitloopy-ness!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Danny Phantom, but I do own this entire plot.**

* * *

 **Meeting Masters**

"Danny, I'm not sure this is such a good idea..."

"Yeah dude, I mean this Vlad guy-"

"You guys don't understand," Danny argued to his friends, Sam and Tucker. It was a few days after the reunion, and the boy was just now telling about his experience at Vlad's mansion. The three were at the Nasty Burger at a corner table, trying to talk quietly so no one would overhear.

Sam frowned, "Danny, rich guys are almost _never_ on the good side. I'm not sure it's wise to put this much trust in him after such a small amount of time-"

"You don't _understand_ , Sam!" The teenage half-ghost raised his voice a little and then glanced around nervously. Seeing no one watching them, he continued, "Vlad may be the only other person like me in the _entire world_! He's the only one that understands what I'm going through-"

"Oh and _we don't understand_?" The purple-eyed girl snapped, slapping a hand down on the table. "Danny we've been with you since the very beginning, and we've been the ones helping you all along, and now you go and say that _we don't understand_?!"

The halfa's eyes glowed radioactive green for a moment, startling the two humans in front of him. Danny was about to argue more when he took a deep breath, and his eyes turned back to their normal light blue.

He looked down in regret, "Ugh, I'm sorry guys... It's just that, it's sorta hard adjusting to having these powers, and Vlad has had them for 20 years now! Think of all the things he could teach me!"

"We know dude," Tucker said, "But still, you should probably be on guard for the first few months, at least, just so you know you can trust him."

"Sure I will Tuck!" The youngest Fenton smiled, "But seriously, he saved me from _Skulker_. How bad could he be?"

"We just want you to be careful, dude." Tucker warned with a shrug, pulling out his PDA, Veronica, to do something geeky on it (as usual).

"I still think you're being over-dramatic." The ghost boy muttered before getting up and walking toward the entrance. "Well, I'm headin' off to Vlad's."

"Wait, wait, you're going _now_?" Sam asked, startled.

"Well he told me to come every Tuesday after school, _so-_ "

The goth girl interrupted, "We could come with, just to meet Vlad and be there if anything happens-"

"Nothing will happen," Danny said with a smile, "but fine, come on!" And the trio went on their way to FentonWorks, with Sam dragging a whining Tucker behind her.

* * *

Within about 30 minutes, they had gone through the Ghost Zone to Vlad's football-shaped-portal (at that point, Danny had told them that Vlad was a major Cheese-Head, and to get ready for the green and yellow themed-rooms, much to Sam and Tuck's dismay).

They went through the portal and emerged into Vlad's lab. The older halfa was nowhere to be seen.

"Hello?" Danny called.

All of the sudden, low, evil cackling came from the corner. A dark figure with a pink glow and glowing red eyes came forward slowly and dramatically.

The trio jumped and gaped at the dark figure. Then, it flew forward laughing in a lighter tone, "Haha, you fell for that, didn't you?" He shook his head smiling, "Just because I'm an old man doesn't mean I can't play a few tricks every once in a while!" Sam and Tucker stared at the ghost's vampire-like appearance in surprise, from the blue skin to the black, spiked hair to the red and grey cape flowing behind him.

"Vlad!" Phantom shook his head, "That was creepy, man. You know I'm always up for pranks, but that was just plain _wrong_..." The two half-ghosts looked at each other before smiling a little at the exchange.

The ghost sent a suspicious look to the two humans beside the younger half-ghost, "Who-?"

"Oh they're my friends Sam and Tucker," Danny explained, motioning to each as he said their names. "Sorry, I completely forgot to ask you if they could come... But they can definitely keep a secret, I promise."

"Hey Mr. Masters, can I have an autograph? Or some cash maybe?" Tucker asked, wiggling his eyebrows in a way that Sam and Danny _never_ wanted to witness again. The Goth girl kicked Tucker in the shin, bringing on a quite unmanly yelp.

"And, uh, they _kind of_ already know... sorry, again." Phantom rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

The man shrugged, "No worries, I expected as much. It's a pleasure to meet you two." Vlad smiled a little and turned around. "Now, come along to my training room and we can start!"

* * *

After taking a short tour of the main part of Vlad's Mansion, the black-haired ghost had brought his guests to a room beside the lab, otherwise known as the old "training room" (which hadn't been used for years).

"No, Daniel, hold your arm like this!" Vlad gently adjusted his student's posture, once they had started training. So far, they had started at the beginning with aiming and posture.

Sam and Tucker stood off to the side, watching the exchange in amusement.

"Right..." The ghost boy blushed at Tucker's snicker and tried again. This time, his ghost ray hit only slightly off the center of the target, instead of on the edge.

After the halfa had successfully hit each of the dozen targets in Vlad's training room, the blasted circles lowered into the floor.

"Good job Little Badger." The older half-ghost praised, causing both of Danny's friends to laugh at the nickname, "You seem to have aiming down. Now, we'll start on power levels." A new set of targets rose up from the floor.

"What?" Danny frowned and crossed his arms. "Vlad, not to burst your ghost shield-bubble, but I kinda learned this weeks ago. When're we gonna get to the cool things, like duplication and teleportation and other stuff like that?" The younger halfa asked excitedly.

"Young Daniel, the best way to take hold of your full potential is to start at the basic skills and work your way up." The billionaire explained. "I guarantee this training will make you a better fighter even if you haven't learned the more advanced stuff yet. All of these skills will definitely come in handy at some point."

"Okay, fine, _Fruitloop_ ," Phantom rolled his eyes good-naturedly, and Vlad did the same at the nickname, "Let's try it then."

"You need to be able to use different power levels in your ghost rays, because there are some instances that you wouldn't want to harm a ghost or enemy," The red-eyed ghost explained, "For example, if a human or a "good" ghost was overshadowed by an evil ghost, you would want to use just enough force to push the enemy back or knock them off balance, so you could rush in and punch the ghost out."

Danny nodded, "That makes sense…" and he turned to the first target and blew it to bits with the strongest ray he could muster. Then he aimed at the one beside it, and sent a small, thin ray that gently knocked it over, causing no damage at all.

"Well, that was easier than I thought," He grinned proudly.

"Hold on for a second," the mentor piped in. "The hard part is not controlling your blasts, but knowing _when_ to control them, and doing it without pausing or doubt."

And the lesson continued. By the evening, both halfas were tuckered out (but the reason wasn't _only_ that Tucker was present… however, that did have an effect) and ready to stop for the day.

At first, Danny had thought that starting at the very beginning was unnecessary, but he didn't realize how much he could get better at even those basic skills. Of course, knowing what to do and how to do it instead of improvising (which was the ghost boy's specialty) helped, too… But overall, the raven-haired boy was pleasantly surprised about how much he had improved on.

After meeting Vlad and watching the session, Sam and Tuck both agreed that they still didn't entirely trust the man, much to Danny's annoyance. However, the trio all agreed that having another, more experienced half-ghost there for support and assistance would definitely not be a bad idea. From that day, Vlad was officially an honorary member of Team Phantom.

The goth and techno-geek just hoped that the older halfa didn't betray their trust in the future.

* * *

That night, Vlad Masters settled down in his bed earlier than usual. He couldn't take his mind off his second meeting with Danny multiple hours before; his first experience teaching had gone surprisingly well. Despite Danny's inexperience and stubbornness, at times, he was actually a great student with loads of potential.

At that moment, the billionaire felt more content than ever before, when he spent his time scheming against Jack and lusting (for appearance and personality, though… Vlad wasn't _that_ kind of person…) for Madeline. The man began to wonder if it was possible for a ghost to change its obsession…

A ghost without its obsession would soon fade away, the man knew, which was the equivalent of dying. Even halfas had obsessions that were imperative to their survival. The first half-ghost had a feeling that his student's obsession was protecting his family, and by extent Amity Park. But, he wasn't so sure about his _own_ obsession now…

As Vlad started drifting off, he seemed to hear a silent voice saying, " _Only time will tell_ …"

* * *

 **Welp, that's the end of the filler chapter. I hope you liked it, despite it being a little shorter and without a main plot. I just needed to set a few things up for the next chapter, which is already written BTW. So, you'll get two updates today.** **:)**

 **How you y'all like the Clockwork references? xD I'm not sure why I keep doing that, but having Clockwork say something wise about time is a good way to end a chapter...**

 **Another thing: I'm sorry if I didn't reply to your review, if you didn't get a response. I only got 5 alert emails for reviews, but the description says there's 7. So, I'll reply next chapter if they come through by then.**

 **Anyway, R &R please, and watch out for ****Blazes of Grey** **, coming soon to fanfiction near you! (excuse my stupid jokes, lol)  
**


	3. Blazes of Grey

_**EDIT 8/18/17: fixed any grammar/spelling issues, made sure names weren't repeated too many times**_

 **Hey, I'm back again! Sorry I'm posting these so fast… As time goes on I'll probably post much slower, especially in a few months when it gets hectic again.  
**

 **Also, I apologize for not leaving time for reviewing. I got these chapters pretty much finished last night, and I hate waiting... xDDD Hopefully it's a _good_ thing that more of this is coming out at the same time...  
**

 **Well, enjoy! :D**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Danny Phantom or the main plot of Shades of Grey.**

* * *

 **Blazes of Grey**

 **RECAP: Danny had just met Cujo and chased him around several times, each time destroying something of Valerie's, including her dad's work, AKA Axum Labs, and her yard sale merchandise. Needless to say, Valerie's pretty ticked off at this point. This begins right at the scene where Vlad sent the suit and weapons to Val.**

"Great news sweetheart!" Damien said with a smile as he opened the dingy apartment's window, "I'm getting one last chance! I convinced them to let me guard what's left of the research lab, while they rebuild!"

"Oh, that's great!" Valerie said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. "How many of your employees can you put on it?"

Her dad frowned a little, "I don't have any more employees... I have to guard it myself... At night... In _that_..." He pointed to a navy blue uniform hanging on the door.

"Nice," Val said sarcastically, "and if things get worse, you can use that outfit to deliver packages..."

Just then, Damien's watch beeped. He started and started heading for the door. "Whoa! Don't wanna be late!" He gave his daughter a quick kiss on the cheek, "Bye sweetie!" And then he was gone. Valerie sighed and looked at the ground. Everything had gone so badly for her and her dad for the last few days.

 _And every problem we've had is because of that stupid ghost kid and his dog!_ She thought angrily and clenched her fists. _If only there was some way for me to get rid of them once and for all..._

She emerged out of her thoughts and stood up from the couch, stretching her stiff limbs. Valerie quickly decided to head to the library to do some research on ghosts, and more importantly, _ghost hunting_.

A few minutes later, at the library, the teal-eyed girl found several books about ghost hunting for beginners. _Convenient_ , she thought contentedly as she checked out a few of the books. _Once I read them and get some weapons that can be used against ghosts, I'll be all set!_ She grinned as she skipped back to her apartment.

* * *

Vlad had several different ways of keeping track of the ghostly activity in his area of the Central United States. A lot of his efforts were focused on Amity Park, though, for several reasons. One was that Danny Phantom, his fellow halfa and student, lived in and protected Amity Park, and the older half-ghost wanted to keep an eye on his town in case the ghost boy needed assistance. And two, the Fentons were in Amity Park, along with their ghost portal, which was pretty much, _singlehandedly_ , the only reason there were any ghosts in Amity in the first place.

The man rolled his eyes as he thought of his former best friend, Jack Fenton, who ruined both Vlad's life and Jack's own son's. The billionaire would likely never let that go.

The elder halfa was brought out of his thoughts when he got a new alert from Amity. He quickly checked it out and found it was several books about ghost hunting checked out from the library. (Yes, Vlad even supervised the online databases for anything that had to do with ghosts) He squinted at the small print and saw the person who checked out the books: Valerie Grey. Vlad _hmmed_ and wondered who this girl was, and why she was interested in ghosts.

 _If this girl, Valerie Grey, has the right drive and determination... She could assist the little badger in Amity Park_ , Vlad thought to himself. _Not that Daniel doesn't have it under control, but he could always use another helping hand... Of course, I'd have to stress the importance of her not fighting Danny..._

After considering it for a while longer, Vlad make his choice. He went to his weapons vault (yes, Vlad had one too) and fetched one of the full-body-armor suits. Vlad spent the next couple hours modifying a suit so it would fit any size girl or woman.

Once Vlad was satisfied, he started on a note to Valerie.

* * *

 _Dear Valerie,_

 _Heard about your recent ghost troubles - hope this helps._

 _However, in order for me to let you keep it, you must promise not to fight a ghost named Danny Phantom, but become his ally. I will arrange a meeting between the two of you as soon as I can._

 _-Vlad_

* * *

The next morning, Valerie walked out of her apartment to see a large cardboard package at her doorstep. "What the..." She muttered and brought it inside, after seeing it said her full name on the outside. "The mail doesn't come this early... right?"

The girl knew she had to get to school sooner rather than later, but she wanted to open the mysterious package, mainly because she had a feeling it was very important.

She ripped open the package and carefully reached into it. She pulled out a note and started reading it.

* * *

 _Dear Valerie,_

 _Heard about your recent ghost troubles - hope this helps._

 _However, in order for me to let you keep it, you must promise not to fight a ghost named Danny Phantom, but become his ally. I will arrange a meeting between the two of you as soon as I can._

 _-Vlad_

* * *

She gasped in surprise as she skipped to the bottom name and saw it said _Vlad_ , with no last name.

 _Huh..._ She thought, skimming over the note again. She frowned at the part that said she had to work with another ghost, named "Danny Phantom."

She reached back into the box and found several guns, followed by a small metal pack.

 _What the..._ Valerie thought. She put her arms through the straps of the pack and automatically, the metal stretched around her figure. Before she knew it, she was looking through a pair of high-tech red-tinted goggles.

She blinked in surprise, and briefly wondered how to get it off.

As soon as she had thought that, the metal peeled off of her and back into a compact pack that could fit easily into her backpack.

Valerie grinned, thinking about how she could use this gift to make the ghost boy and his dog _pay_.

What were the chances that the annoying ghost kid's name was _Danny Phantom_ anyway?

* * *

A few minutes later, Valerie trudged into the school building carrying her library books, as well as the new ghost hunting gear hidden away in her backpack. Unfortunately, once she reached a corner in the hallway, she bumped into the biggest geek in the school, also known as Tucker Foley.

"Valerie!" Tuck said in surprise, "Hi!" He gave his best grin to the girl, "Okay guys! See ya!" He yelped to his friends.

Danny and Sam shrugged at each other before walking away, while Tuck quickly got onto the floor and picked up the fallen books.

" _Ghost Hunter's Almanac_? _Ghost Killing for Dimwits_? When did _you_ get so interested in ghosts?" Tuck smiled curiously.

"When they _ruined my life_!" Val snapped and snatched her books back.

"You know, I happen to know a thing or two about ghosts..."

" _Please_ ," Valerie said sarcastically, rolling her green eyes, "I'm broke. I'm not _stupid_."

"Seriously! Did you know that Danny's parents are professional ghost hunters?"

"No, I didn't know that!" Valerie exclaimed before turning around and putting on her most adorable face, "Hey Tucker! Wanna carry my books for me?" She blinked innocently and smiled. Tucker fell for it right away and smiled back.

Valerie sneered a little when his back was turned. If the Fentons could help her become a better ghost hunter, it was worth playing _girlfriend_ with this dweeb.

* * *

A few hours later, at the school basketball game, Danny and Sam sat in the bleachers talking.

"Danny, will you relax?" The goth girl questioned her friend.

"How can I relax?!" Danny asked, annoyed. "That stupid ghost dog could be anywhere, not to mention, I've driven Valerie to hate ghosts! Did you know that she was carrying like _three different books_ about ghost hunting this morning?"

"Hey, guys, can we join you?" Tuck came up and asked, with the new ghost huntress by his side smiling sweetly.

Sam and Danny stared for a minute before snapping, "No!" at the same time.

Valerie looked down, and Tucker glared at his friends. "Of course we can," he answered flatly, and the new couple scooted in beside the halfa and the Goth girl.

"Soo, Tucker tells me your parents hunt ghosts..." Valerie said to Danny with an innocent smile.

"Oh did he now?" The youngest Fenton asked, sending an accusatory look to his friend. "What _else_ did he tell you?"

The conversation was halted by a whistle, and the group of four looked up to see Dash about to throw the winning shot.

All of the sudden, a crash and loud barking came from the wall in front of them, which made the star quarterback miss his shot. The giant green ghost dog barked some more and dashed toward Dash (heh). All of the players rushed away screaming.

* * *

Valerie leapt up from her seat and ran to the left, going out the door to put on her new suit. _Time to test this baby out_ , she thought eagerly, and the suit formed around her, making her feel ready to take on anything. She also pulled out the thermos from her backpack, which she assumed was something to use against ghosts.

She rushed back into the gym and heard talking from behind the bleachers. She ran around and saw the ghost kid and the ghost dog, now in its small form. She aimed her gun nervously (she had never actually used a gun before...) and fired, hitting the dog on the first shot.

"Say goodbye, ghost boy!" She exclaimed confidently and tried twisting the thermos lid. It didn't budge.

"Ugh, come on, you stupid thermos!" Val muttered angrily and continued to try to open the lid.

All of the sudden, she heard a "Hey Valerie, wait up!" from above. She frowned, confused, until someone fell on top of her, effectively pinning her down.

"Great outfit!" The boy exclaimed optimistically, and Val recognized it was her "boyfriend" Tucker.

She rolled her eyes and looked up to see the ghost boy flying directly towards her. She didn't have time to struggle as he snatched her up and threw her into the basketball hoop.

"You should be safe here until help comes," the ghost boy told her in a tone that said " _stay here or else_!"

"Get me down!" Valerie yelped, "Get me down so I can _destroy you_!" Phantom shot her an unimpressed look before turning intangible and flying through the wall.

* * *

The next day at school, Valerie hated ghosts more than ever. She was in science class when she heard the ghost dog's annoying barking again.

"May I be excused?" She jumped up and asked, coincidentally (or not so coincidentally) at the same time as Danny Fenton. She looked over curiously but decided to ignore it as the teacher let them leave class.

Once she had gone to the bathroom to put on her suit, she flew out of the school on her hover-board with her biggest gun blazing, ready to get the ghosts once and for all. She shot several times at their forms only a dozen feet in front of her.

After a few seconds, a green laser came flying toward her from the ghost boy, which knocked her back.

When Val got her hover-board under control again, the ghosts were nowhere to be seen.

* * *

"I think I'll go pick us up a little late night snack," Damien told his daughter with a smile. "Will you be okay, honey? You got stuff to do?" The two were at Axum labs that evening, and Damien was working the night shift again. Valerie had all of her school books and homework out, but she honestly had _no_ intention of doing anything with them.

"I'm fine, Daddy," Valerie replied happily. "I've got everything I need _right here_." She patted her backpack and accidentally set off one of her guns.

"Valerie?!" Her dad exclaimed in surprise, poking his head back through the open door.

"I'm okay!" The girl promised with her best smile and innocent eyes.

Once her dad was gone, Valerie suited up and traveled through Axum on the lookout for the ghost boy. Soon enough she heard his voice and rushed to that room as quietly as she could. She aimed at the oblivious ghost and fired at him, throwing him into the wall.

"Back to the scene of the crime?" The Red Huntress snarked to the ghost.

"I really hate to do this, but..." Danny said slowly and charged up a ghost ray, soon sending it towards the ghost hunter, blasting the gun out of her hand.

"Yeah? Well I don't!" The huntress snapped as a gun came up behind her shoulder. Valerie aimed through her built-in goggles and fired, but the ghost shot through the ceiling, so her shot ended up breaking a hole through it.

 _Oh no... My dad's gonna kill me!_ Valerie briefly thought before rushing towards the ghost boy again. All of this would be in vain if she didn't manage to destroy what _destroyed her life_!

More shots were exchanged until the ghost boy hit the wall several feet above her head.

"You're a pretty lousy shot!" The girl teased.

"That's because I'm _not trying to hit you_!" Danny replied, "Can't we talk?"

"I'm done talking!" Valerie snapped.

The fight continued, until Valerie accidentally shot the alarm button, which caused all of Axum's security alarms to go off.

The Red Huntress blasted Danny into another room through the wall, but when she turned around, the huge ghost dog stood growling at her, only inches away.

She panicked and fell down, praying that the dog would just _go away_ , until she heard a voice.

"Here boy! Is this what you've been looking for?" Several squeaking noises made the dog look up with an optimistic expression. " _Does you want your squeaky_?" The ghost boy taunted in a baby-voice, " _Oh does you_?"

After throwing the toy and sending Cujo away, Danny knelt down behind the new ghost huntress.

"Look, I know you're angry, but that's not my dog... And I'm sorry about whatever happened to you..." He stood up and held out a hand. "Not all ghosts are evil." The ghost boy paused, looking directly where Valerie's eyes were underneath her suit.

"Yeah?" Val said in a faked nice tone before taking his hand and judo-flipping him over her head. "And not all humans are saps, huh?" A gun sprang out near her wrist and pointed right at Phantom's face. " _Goodbye_ , ghost boy!"

" _Valerie_?" A questioning voice rang out from behind the wall.

"Oh no, my dad!" The girl realized in horror, "I can't let him see me like this!"

"I'm sorry," Phantom said sarcastically to the girl, annoyed about his failed attempt to call a truce, "I can't help you there." He zipped away through the ceiling. Valerie looked around, panicked, before taking off her suit and started shoving it in her backpack.

"Maybe Danny can't help her, but I can!" Tucker said quietly to Sam, and nobly walked forward and let himself get trapped in a net. Valerie turned around in surprise and glared at him.

"What are you _doing here_?!" The girl demanded, confused.

"Umm... Hoping for a fake-out make-out?" Tucker smiled a little, causing Val to give the tiniest smile back.

" _Ahem_!" Valerie's dad glared at the techno-geek.

"Aheh, hi! You must be her dad..." He grinned nervously. "You're bigger than I thought you'd be, heh..."

"Well," the other man drawled, who Valerie assumed was her dad's boss, "At least we know we're secure against teenagers... But you're still on thin ice." Damien glared at the two teens, who smiled guiltily back.

 _That sure was a close one_ , the teal-eyed girl thought, shaking her head at her crazy night.

* * *

The bell rang, and all of the freshman students were sitting down for lunch.

"Know where the dog went?" Tuck asked the younger halfa.

"Nope."

"Gonna play it a little safer now that Valerie the _ghost slayer_ is around?" Sam piped in.

"Yep."

The trio watched the huntress strut by, not once looking in their direction.

"I just wish I knew where she got those weapons..." Danny wondered aloud.

Just then, Vlad teleported into the hallway in a puff of pink smoke, looking both ways before moving. He set down a note to Valerie in her path and flew away again. Next, the elder halfa flew invisibly and intangibly to Danny, looking both ways again before allowing another note to become visible in the boy's lap.

Danny flinched before looking down and seeing who the note was from. He looked up to see that Vlad was already gone.

The younger halfa smiled and read the note.

* * *

 _Dear Little Badger,_

 _I sincerely apologize for causing quite a bit of…_ friction _between you and Valerie. I will fully explain the next time I see you in person. But yes, indeed, I was the one who supplied her with the suit and ghost weapons-_

* * *

"Seriously?!" Danny shouted, causing the whole lunch room to look at him. He blushed and ducked a little, and continued reading.

* * *

 _-I know you probably just called all attention to yourself in the lunchroom-_

* * *

Danny sighed and shook his head. Vlad always seemed to know, well, _everything_...

* * *

- _-and haha, I was right, wasn't I? Anyway, I did not realize at all that young Valerie was after you_ specifically _. I even said, in the first note I wrote to her, your name and not to fight you but to be an ally to you. I apologize again for not being aware of what was bound to happen._

 _I wrote her a similar note that said to meet you at the Amity Park billboard this evening at 6:00. Please be there, and explain to her about my mistake. If you have to, take this note and compare the handwriting, or something along those lines. Just try not to reveal anything more. You know what I mean._

 _Deepest regards,_

 _Fruitloop (I still haven't a clue why you chose_ that name _...)_

* * *

Danny grinned and handed the note to his friends to read.

"Don't you just love Vlad?" Danny asked sarcastically after all of them had read the letter. His friends started to laugh, and he soon joined in.

Despite the huge misunderstandings between the two halfas and Valerie, the black-haired boy somehow knew at that moment, that it would turn out okay in the end.

Another thing he knew was, the next time he saw Vlad, they would have a _long talk_ about handing out ghost weapons to girls with grudges.

* * *

 **And there's where we end with Blazes of Grey! I hope the situation with Valerie sounded at least somewhat believable. I also ended up cutting out the Dumpty Humpty concert, because I already had a good ending and I didn't want to have to change it. I don't think it has a big effect, though, but feel free to tell me if you think I should add it in.  
**

 **Also, sorry DannyxSam fans! I had to cut out the fake-out make-out... Sorry 'bout that. Maybe I'll add it in in a future chapter sometime...  
**

 **Thanks for reading and if you don't mind, leave a review on your way out! :D**


	4. Paternal Instinct

_**EDIT 8/18/17: fixed any spelling/grammar mistakes, made sure names didn't repeat too much**_

 **I'm back for the 4** **th** **chapter! :D But, I'll admit I got a small case of writer's block on this one, when I was trying to find out a way to change Vlad's role in Maternal Instincts into** ** _not_** **an evil one… I really wanted to** ** _change_** **all the episodes with Vlad, and not have to remove them entirely. However, it seems like either Vlad has a villainous plot, or makes really stupid mistakes… xDDD I didn't think about that when I first started writing this series. Maybe it'll get easier as time goes on…**

 **To** **Invader Johnny** **: …I guess that was more obvious than I thought... I think I'll continue with the dramatic irony, (school has taught me some stuff at least…) AKA all the characters being oblivious to something, and the audience knowing. And yes, Vlad's still a crazed up Fruitloop in some ways, I suppose. For a billionaire, he wasn't very bright last chapter… Thanks for reviewing on all 3 chapters! :D Thanks again and keep on being awesome!**

 **To** **Sockenmonster01** **: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I'll be sure to throw in some DannyxSam… I've kinda neglected that relationship so far, mostly because it hasn't been in the episodes I've rewritten. But it's worth changing them to add in that! Hope you like this chapter! Sorry, no Sam in this one but certainly the next, which may be either another original chapter or the rewrite of Million Dollar Ghost.**

 **To** **KaliAnn** **: Haha, yep, it's a nice break of tradition, isn't it? And sadly, yes… Vlad's way more… mistake prone now that he isn't as much of a crazed up Fruitloop, isn't he? I know that was a big mistake on his part, but I honestly couldn't come up with a better way to write it… Sorry to disappoint! Thanks for taking the time to R &R on all of the chapters so far! I really appreciate it, and I hope you like this chapter!**

 **TO ANYONE ELSE WHO REVIEWED, AND I NEVER RESPONDED: I apologize, but a few reviews never went through in an alert email, and the review function has been down since this story was posted. Just this morning, I could finally see all of my 12 reviews. I'm glad that's fixed and in the future I'll acknowledge your existence, ok? Sorry 'bout that!**

 **Thanks to** **MidnightSky68** **,** **TheMissingShadow** **,** **Nightmare Nursery** **,** **Shadow Ninja 287** **,** **EricaLovegood** **,** **Pana-sule** **,** **kyra235** **, and** **rachelapril1006** **for faving and/or following this story before this chapter was posted!**

 **ALSO, some people followed/faved and I never got an email… so same situation with the reviews. Hopefully I've said everyone now, with the 2** **nd** **chapter and this one. I don't know if anyone cares really… But I want to recognize y'all who chose to read this, even though it may not be the best written or thought out. Huge thanks to everyone!**

 **Anyway, now I present to you, Paternal Instinct!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Danny Phantom, but I do own my OC ghost, the Woodsman (spoiler!). I also own my changes to the plot.**

* * *

 **Paternal Instinct**

 **RECAP: Danny had just practiced all his powers in his parents' lab, with Sam and Tucker helping him. Also, Maddie had just received a letter in the mail (not from the creepy ghost mailman, like in the episode) for the mother/son Scientific Symposium, hosted by DALV (which is one of Vlad's two companies, and not a complete hoax). This starts when Danny is trying (and failing) to duplicate himself.**

Danny Phantom took a deep breath, clenching his fists at his sides, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to focus as much as possible.

He felt _something_ happen, but it didn't feel right at all. When he opened his two sets of eyes, he saw Sam and Tucker staring at him in amazement. He had successfully turned himself into a _two-headed_ Danny Phantom.

"Wow, you can eat a Nasty Burger and fries at the _same time_!" Tucker exclaimed in awe.

"Yeah, problem is I can only split myself _this far_..." Danny's head to his friends' left head said.

"Vlad, otherwise known as the Fruitloop, can turn into, like, _four_ different Vlad's at once!" The right head contributed, holding up his hand and showing four fingers. "I'm gonna have to step up my game if I want to be ready for him to help me manage more than two duplicates at the same time, like he can!"

"That's what this weekend is about." The left head spoke up again "Non-stop drills."

"No homework-"

"No family-"

" _No interruptions!_ " They exclaimed at the same time.

"Hey Danny!" His mother called down, starting to come down the stairs to the lab. Danny whipped around in horror, still with two heads.

He quickly changed back to human form, but ended up having only one eye in the middle of his forehead. He gasped in horror when he realized something was wrong.

Tucker thought fast and slapped him in the back of the head, bringing back his normal two blue eyes.

"Pack your bags, we're going to a mother-son Science Symposium in California!" Maddie exclaimed in excitement once she arrived in the lab, holding out the letter. "Doesn't that sound fun?"

Danny sagged. He had a feeling he had jinxed it, the moment his heads had laid down the rules in perfect sync…

* * *

"At least you're _going_ somewhere," Jazz comforted that night. "I'm doomed to "special family alone time" with Dad..."

The older Fenton child pulled out the letter they had received in the mail. "The DALV group... Never heard of 'em. Are they legitimate?"

"Legitimately boring, I'm guessing." Danny muttered in disappointment, not realizing that DALV was one of Vlad's companies. He heard his father saying something to Maddie, but he only heard the words "ghost" and "Specter Deflector," which didn't sound like anything good for him...

* * *

The next thing he knew, they were on a private jet on the way to California.

"Come on, Mr. _Pouty Pants_ ," The blue-clad ghost hunter said to her son. "This weekend is supposed to be about _us!_ Those DALV people sent this private jet, just for us! How perfect is _that_?"

"Do you want the truth, or one of those little white lies that doesn't hurt your feelings?" Danny muttered, crossing his arms and slumping against his seat in annoyance. He had really been looking forward to relaxing and practicing his powers with his friends, Sam and Tucker, especially after all of the drama with Valerie... His attempt to become allies with the huntress at Vlad's request didn't go so well. The two had ended up calling an uneasy truce because Valerie refused to work with "the ghost boy who ruined her life," much to Danny's annoyance. Next time he saw Vlad, the older man was going explain why the heck he did what he did.

Danny emerged out of his thoughts when Maddie sighted dejectedly. "Forget it, Danny. Just look out the window at those beautiful Rocky Mountains."

The boy peered out the window and saw some cold, bleak mountains. He rolled his eyes before the plane started to shake.

" _Folks, this is your captain speaking. We seem to have hit some minor tur-_ " he was cut off by a massive lurch to the left, throwing the two Fentons into the aisle. The floor shook as the plane flew at a dangerously sharp angle.

The mother and son locked eyes nervously before running to the cockpit. The captain was frantically trying to get the plane back under control. His efforts seemed to do nothing to make the situation better.

"The controls are jammed!" The man cursed in anger and fear. He seemed to be in his early 20's, so Danny assumed he was a rookie at flying planes on his own.

"How do we get outta this?" Maddie asked in horror, looking around the cockpit for something useful.

Danny gulped, "I know one way..." He muttered to himself before kneeling down and transforming into his Phantom form. He turned intangible and grabbed his mom first, but he had forgotten about the "Specter Deflector" that his dad mentioned. He was shocked with ghost energy, giving him cold chills in reminder of the accident that gave him his ghost powers. He was knocked back into the door, immediately turning back into a human. He just stood there in a state of shock for several seconds.

"Oh my God!" The captain shrieked and flew out of his seat, whipping around, "I forgot! There are three parachutes! Right there!" He pointed behind the three. Sure enough, there were several tan packs lined up against the wall.

His mother gasped, "Danny, are you okay?" She asked in horror when she saw him still against the wall, a pained expression on his face.

"Uh, yeah! I'm... fine!" He came to his senses just in time, and the plane careened even closer to the ground. The three people each grabbed a parachute and jumped one by one out the open side of the plane. Only seconds after they had jumped, the plane collided with a mountain, causing a booming _thud_ and triggering avalanches on the nearby mountains.

Luckily, the trio were floating down toward a pine forest, so at least they could crash-land without getting majorly injured.

Once they touched down with nothing more than a few scrapes and bruises, the pilot shook out of his shocked state and started apologizing frantically. The poor guy was almost in tears from what had just happened.

"Oh, sir, everything's all right," Maddie consoled, awkwardly patting his back. "We all survived, right? No harm done in the end."

The ghost hunter pulled out her "Fenton Machete" after the young pilot had settled down, and she started chopping a path through the dense forest.

"You carry a lot of stuff, Mom. How 'bout a _Fenton Cell Phone_ so we can call for help?" Danny remarked dryly.

"Cell phone?" She scoffed. "You can't fight ghosts with a cell phone, silly! Not that we're likely to find many ghosts around here... Besides? Who needs help? I'm _perfectly_ comfortable with us ruffin' it out in the woods!" She continued to chop down trees.

Danny and the pilot shared a look before following on the cleared path.

They almost bumped into Maddie when she stopped suddenly. They looked up to see a marvelous-looking stone cabin. The three stared in shock of the sight before them.

The Fenton mother was the first to break the silence. "Or we could just stay at this ritzy mountain chalet... I'm open!"

The group slowly walked around to the tall, wooden double-doors. Maddie knocked before stepping back and wondering who owned the beautiful building.

After a few seconds, the large, carved wooden doors swung open. The ghost huntress, halfa and pilot gasped when they saw that Vlad Masters had answered the door.

The man blinked before giving a confused smile, "Well, hello dear Maddie, Daniel, and... Who might you be young sir?" Vlad didn't pause for an answer before continuing. "This is a surprise. I wasn't expecting anyone way out here! Come on in!" He opened the door wider, and he led the guests into a massive main room, complete with several leather chairs, a leather couch, and a rustic fireplace, which cast a flickering orange glow on the wooden walls. Vlad had been staying in his Colorado house instead of his main mansion because the latter was being renovated, and he was asked to stay somewhere else for his own safety. However, he had his own precautions, including an expensive laptop with secret cameras watching every part of the house, just in case the renovators tried to steal anything. Even though Vlad had plenty of money, it was his own right to supervise his house and belongings.

"Please have a seat." The billionaire said politely and motioned to the expensive furniture, and then took a seat himself. "What brings you three to these parts?"

"You'll never believe it," Maddie started, once everyone had gotten settled. "We were on our way to the Symposium and our pilot lost control of the plane, so we parachuted out right over your house!"

Vlad looked over at the unfamiliar man in the room. "So I assume this was your pilot..." He nodded towards the nervous rookie, who nodded skittishly.

"Yes, Mr. Masters. I'm sorry, Mr. Masters, it was my first real flight and I don't know what happened and I-"

Vlad said a few things to calm down the pilot, and promised he wouldn't press charges or get the young man fired. "Accidents happen," Vlad had told him. The billionaire led the man away to make a few calls to DALV about the incident.

Once he had returned (the pilot had remained in another room to recover), Danny spoke up cockily, bringing Vlad's attention to him.

"What an incredibly well planned coincidence that this happened, right Vlad?"

"That would be an _oxymoron_ , dear boy." Vlad corrected with a smart tone, causing Danny to mock-glare at him with glowing green eyes.

"Ooh, the _scary eyes_!" The grey-haired man pretended to look afraid before chuckling a little at Danny's immature-ness. The younger halfa sent his mentor a quick look that conveyed the message "we need to talk later, _alone_."

He nodded ever so slightly and turned to Maddie next, who was by a large bookcase looking through a book.

"Maddie," Vlad seemed to purr, "I'm so glad you're here. It gives me a chance to apologize for… my disappearance for most of the college reunion." He said, referring to his talk with Danny several weeks before.

While listening to this, the boy considered throwing in rude comments to annoy the other half-ghost, but decided against it. After all, his mom could catch onto his and Vlad's sudden familiarity with each other, and it would be hard to explain. In her mind, they had only met each other once, when in reality, it had been about half a dozen times since the reunion.

"Oh it's all right, Vlad," Maddie answered politely. "I know you're quite a busy man." Vlad gently took the Ghost book from Maddie, once he saw it was the one he had gotten from the Ghost Writer, who lived deep in the Ghost Zone. He prayed she didn't get to the page about half-ghosts (which was recently added in once the Ghost Writer met Vlad).

"So, dear Maddie, how is _Jack_ doing lately?" The elder halfa tried to say without sounding too bitter. "Is he still creating those disastrous inventions that cause more harm than help, _hmm_?"

"Now, Vlad, Jack may be a bumbler, but he means well." The woman said with a smile as she walked toward a different bookcase, peering at the different books on it. Vlad knew he should drop the topic, especially since he didn't want to make Danny angry, so he sighed a little and ended the conversation.

"Of course, Madeline. I apologize."

After Maddie had decided to go check on the pilot, Vlad turned to his student.

Danny looked up at him, a slightly angry glint in his light blue eyes. "Okay, Vlad, I want you to explain exactly why you thought that giving ghost weapons to the girl that hated me for supposedly "ruining her life," was a good idea!"

Vlad looked down and sighed. "I really am sorry, Daniel. It was foolish of me to do something that rash without thinking of the possible consequences."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Plus you embarrassed me in the lunchroom-" Vlad snickered a little at that, causing Danny to glare at him again, startling the older half-ghost into silence. "This isn't _funny_ , Vlad! For having 20 years of experience, I thought you'd have better judgement than that! I mean come on, now that girl hates my guts, both as a human and as a ghost!" He flinched and looked to the door, hoping no one had overheard that.

Vlad's eyes glowed red. "I already told you that I _made a mistake_! Just because I have years of experience being a lonely old man doesn't mean I'm _perfect_ , you insufferable brat!" He snapped, but immediately regretted the words after he said them.

Danny stared at him. "You're calling _ME_ an insufferable brat?! Just look at you! You have, what, like five different houses? Don't you think there's a better way to be spending your money then to have a bunch of mansions put up in your honor? How selfish is _that_?!"

"Oh, and now you think _I'm_ selfish?! Take a look at _yourself_ , strutting around and thinking you're the best ever just because you " _protect_ " people?! You think you're the only thing that's keeping the earth spinning? Come _on_ , Daniel, the world wouldn't be any different without you! In fact, it might even be _better_!"

Danny felt angry tears rushing to his eyes, and he was about to retort, when with a bang, Maddie threw open the closed door when she had heard the fight.

"What is going _on_ here?" His mom exclaimed, confused about why the two males were shouting at each other, when they had (supposedly) only seen each other one other time.

Danny rushed over and grabbed his mom's arm, pulling her forcefully out of the front doors. After a few seconds, he quickly let go of her when he got shocked. Without turning to face the house or his mother, he ran full-speed into the woods. Maddie rushed after him, calling out a quick apology and goodbye to Vlad before she got too far away.

Once Maddie had reached the clearing they landed in, she found Danny sitting down on a fallen tree trunk and covering his face with his hands. Maddie watched in confusion and sympathy for a few seconds, before leaving him alone for a while. She knew from bringing up two teenagers herself, that if they were angry, they should be left alone for a while to cool down.

She just hoped that was the right thing to do.

* * *

As soon as Vlad watched Danny rush away at full speed into the woods, his eyes glowed bright red, and two lasers shot out and fully disintegrated one of his chairs.

He was more ashamed than mad, though. He had just yelled at the one person (besides Maddie, of course) that he would not have _ever_ wanted to hurt. And it was all because of one wrong decision he had made, with the intention of _helping_.

It was the _last time_ Vlad would make that mistake.

* * *

Once it started to get dark, the blue-clad ghost hunter had a simple wooden shelter built, two sleeping bags set up, and a campfire burning. Feeling proud of herself, she dusted off her hands and slowly sat down next to her son, who had not budged for a few hours, at least. He stared blankly at the crackling fire, arms crossed across his lap

She gently laid her hand on his, causing him to flinch to the side and pull his hand away when he got zapped by the Specter Deflector _again_.

"Okay, I get it! Stop _touching me_!" He snapped, causing Maddie to pull away her hand in confusion and surprise. "Look..." He almost wanted to explain everything to his mom at that moment, but he just couldn't find the words. "I-I'm gonna sleep over here, okay?" He pointed off to the side and shuffled over. The ghost boy didn't want to hurt his mom's feelings, but he also didn't want to sleep next to her because he would get shocked by the contraption around her waist constantly.

The ghost hunter looked down, feeling hurt at her son's unwillingness to tell her what was wrong. "Well, all right Danny..." She got up and pulled her sleeping bag into her shelter. "I love you..."

Danny nodded without meeting her eyes, before settling down on the hard ground. "'Night." He said quietly, looking off to the side.

Maddie watched him for a moment before going all the way into her tent-like shelter. Her heart ached for her son. She knew he was upset, and she wanted to help, but she just didn't know _how_.

* * *

Deep in the woods, just a few miles away from Vlad's forest mansion, sat an old, broken down, wooden shack. It was less than half the size of the forest chalet, but it housed things that few could imagine.

Whatever person that had lived there at some point was long gone. All that remained were dusty animal furs and stuffed heads, broken glass on the floor, and an old rifle leaning against the wall.

The stillness and silence were broken when a glowing, green, animalistic creature rose intangibly through the wooden floor. More and more followed, until there were several dozen squeezed into the shack. Lastly, a more human-looking figure appeared, but it still glowed a radioactive green.

It was the ghost of a (former) man, complete with a shaggy brown beard and beady black eyes. He sported a brown cloak and camo pants, and a green-tinged gun not unlike the one in the shack.

" _Go, my minions. Find a body for me to take as my own!_ " The ghost rasped to the animalistic, mutated ghosts. They roared, chirped, and groaned as one, with each respective animal making its unique sound. The ghosts galloped into the forest, phasing through trees and splitting up in different directions.

The old hunter grinned, showing a few missing teeth, in anticipation of feeling _alive_ again. And _no one_ was going to get in his way…

* * *

The ghost boy laid in his sleeping bag, and was in turmoil from what had happened only a few hours before. What had started as a pleasant surprise ended up as a complete _disaster_. He had never wanted to say those terrible things to Vlad.

He felt a tear start to roll down his cheek. He quickly wiped it away and tried to get some sleep. He couldn't help but wonder if Vlad was done with him... Or if he believed that Danny _was_ only protecting his town to look good. That last remark had hurt the boy the most.

As soon as he had shut his tired eyes, he heard a menacing, echoing growl. He stiffened and his eyes flew open, widening when he saw a big, hairy, ghostly green set of legs.

"Either Mom needs to shave her legs, or this is _really_ bad news..." He muttered to himself and looked up to see a six-legged bear ghost. Unfortunately, it was glaring right at him.

The ghost lunged, and the last thing Danny saw was red eyes before he was roughly blindfolded and gagged. Danny tried to call out to his mother, but his efforts were fruitless.

His vision faded to black from a hard blow to his head.

When the young half-ghost came to, the blindfold and gag had been taken off, and he was tied up with rough strips of cloth that glowed a ghostly green. Danny tried to phase out or Go Ghost, but he found he couldn't use any of his powers, and trying to use them only made him feel weaker. He looked up to see mutated, neon green ghost animals surrounding him, growling ferociously.

" _Well, well, you've awakened, ghost boy_!" A deep voice drawled. " _I sent my pets to find a_ human _body, but you'll do nicely, too..._ "

Danny turned his head to see an unfamiliar ghost sneering at him with pitch black, evil eyes.

He couldn't help but think to himself: _this definitely isn't good..._

* * *

When Vlad awoke in cold sweat, all he knew was that something was _very_ wrong.

He shot out of his bed and let the pitch black rings change him to Vlad Plasmius. Once he flew through the ceiling, he slowly turned around 360 degrees, confused to where the trouble was. He saw a flash of green light in the distant trees, straight forward from his front door. In other words, in the direction where Danny and Maddie had run multiple hours earlier...

Vlad's eyes glowed bright red when he realized that something must have been after the younger halfa. He accelerated to his full speed, breaking the sound barrier and shooting through the sky like a shooting star.

Whoever had chosen to mess with _his_ Little Badger would _pay_.

* * *

Danny flinched back as the crazy ghost approached him.

" _Don't worry, ghost boy, this won't hurt..._ much _!_ " He cackled and threw himself intangibly into the boy's body. Danny screamed and writhed, his eyes turning bright white, before being completely overtaken by the evil ghost.

Just then, a powerful pink blast blew the wooden shack to bits. A royally pissed Vlad Plasmius floated a few feet off the ground, glaring madly at the ghost animals.

" _You're too late!_ " cackled the ghost through Danny's body. The half-ghost's eyes had darkened to entirely pitch black, and they glinted evilly like the ghost's had. " _For I am the Woodsman, and I am_ new _again!_ " He used Danny's body to transform into Danny Phantom, and he flew up into the night sky, sending powerful green blasts at Plasmius. " _So powerful!_ " Danny/Woodsman grinned as he flaunted his newfound powers. Vlad dodged every blast and sent his own half-power rays back. He didn't want to risk hurting Danny, even if he was being overshadowed. That brought his mind to his first lesson with his student, which made him feel even _angrier_ at the Woodsman.

The fight continued, until Maddie had jumped out of the surrounding trees, yelling "Where's my son _ghosts_?!" She started fighting the animalistic ghosts, but realizing that she was so outnumbered, (since there were dozens of animal ghosts, plus Plasmius and Phantom) she sped back into the woods, a few of the ghosts pursuing her.

Before the Woodsman had recovered from the distraction, Vlad shot forward and punched him with a glowing fist. The ghost was forced out of Danny's body, causing the ghost boy to transform back to Danny Fenton and start falling to the ground.

Vlad shot a flexible string of ectoplasm out of his palm, which wrapped around the stunned Woodsman, immobilizing him (for the moment at least). The elder halfa swooped down and caught Danny in his arms right before he hit the ground. He could feel his ghost core vibrating more than usual in his chest from the close call.

Danny groaned softly and blinked open his eyes, back to their normal crystalline blue. "W-what happened?"

Vlad was about to reply when he heard growling. The remaining animal ghosts had surrounded them on all sides, dozens of glowing red eyes glaring menacingly. The black-haired ghost hugged the boy closer to his chest and held out his free hand, lighting it up with ghostly energy and preparing to fight his way out.

Just then, Maddie burst from the trees, a high-pitched battle cry escaping her lips. She pulled out a double-sided laser blade, spinning it and jumping at the closest ghost.

Vlad turned himself and the boy in his arms invisible and flew to a safer spot several meters away. Danny slowly and shakily stood up, still leaning on the other ghost for support, and watched in amazement as his mother man-handled the ghosts.

Once she had scared away the last ghosts, Danny ran over to Maddie, barely avoiding tripping and falling on his face.

She gasped when she saw Danny. "Danny!" She said in surprise. "Young man, do you mind telling me what you thought you were doing, leaving the campsite in the mid-"

"You... are... _awesome_!" Danny grinned and gave her a quick hug, flinching away again when he was electrocuted. But, he smiled anyway because it was worth the pain.

"Aw, _honey_! Thank you!" His mother said happily, forgetting momentarily about Danny leaving the campsite. "But we better get moving in case those ghosts come back..."

"Uh..." He looked over at where Vlad was floating invisibly and shot him a grateful smile. "Wait for me!" He shouted and ran after his mother.

"Eh, I think we gave those ghost animals the slip." The ghost boy said once they had walked back in the direction of their campsite. "Shouldn't we, um, go back to Vlad's now?"

She looked back at him in surprise. "You want to go back there after what happened earlier?" Danny nodded and smiled the tiniest bit.

"I feel like I need to apologize to him after what happened..." The younger halfa said, wanting to explain more but not wanting to reveal anything. "I over reacted to something, and I said some things I shouldn't have..."

"That's very grown up of you sweetie." Maddie smiled at her son, proud of his decision. "Let's get going then!"

* * *

After Maddie and Danny had left the clearing, Vlad went to the ghost that _thought_ he could get away with kidnapping Vlad's student.

The half-ghost glowered, his hands heating up with boiling hot, pink energy. The Woodsman gulped and smiled nervously at the approaching halfa.

" _Heh, heh… We can talk this through, right…_?"

Vlad blasted him with so much energy that the Woodsman fell unconscious.

Pulling out a thermos (not unlike the Fenton thermos), Vlad captured the ghost, silently promising to hand him over to Walker the next chance he got. Plasmius then returned to his house, content with the outcome of the fight.

* * *

Once the ghost hunter and her son had gotten to Vlad's, Maddie stayed outside so they could work it out themselves. She still hasn't a clue why the two would have argued with each other, but she respected their privacy enough to stay out of it.

Once the two were alone, they explained to each other their own side of the story, leading up to the massive fight with the Woodsman and his ghost animals.

Once everything was cleared up about what happened, Danny looked down before speaking up again.

"Listen Vlad, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I totally over-reacted about, well, _everything_." He rolled his eyes a little but continued sincerely, "I'm sorry..."

"Oh, lighten up little badger," Vlad smirked, "Don't turn this into some reality TV show that teenagers like to make fun of." He held out a hand, "Truce?"

Danny shook his hand with a smile. "Okay, Fruitloop, _truce_. And speaking of truces... I don't think Valerie will be my ally anytime soon..." He shrugged. "But at least she won't go fighting me whenever she has free time. She agreed to a _sort-of_ truce, which is better than nothing, I guess."

Vlad sighed. "I'll have to have a talk with her. Don't worry, Badger, I'll fix this." He put a hand on his student's shoulder, causing the younger halfa to look up at him with a smile. "I _promise_."

* * *

The next morning, Vlad flew the two Fentons back to FentonWorks in his helicopter. (Danny wondered why he had it, if he could just fly anywhere he wanted with his powers... Then again, if Vlad owned two companies, a few different houses, and a private jet, so it would make sense for him to have a helicopter, too).

After that crazy weekend, the younger halfa wondered if his life would _ever_ be normal again.

But, he knew it wouldn't be, considering he was a half-ghost whose parents were ghost hunters, and he was friends with an Ultro-Recyclo-Vegetarian goth girl, a PDA-loving, carnivorous techno-geek, and a lonely billionaire who was also the only other half-ghost in the world, besides Danny himself.

Danny figured no one else who had ever existed could say the same thing… and he was fine with that, as long as he had his friends by his side.

* * *

 **Whew! That took longer than I thought it would! This chapter ended up way longer than the other ones... more than 5,000 words, compared to about 3,500. And... now I own an OC ghost! My first DP OC, what a milestone! xD  
**

 **Anyway, about this chapter, I took out the Plasmius Maximus. But don't worry, it'll return later in this series. (I already have an idea of when, but it'll be a while…) Also, I had to remove Jazz and Jack's ghost fights, because of the new set up. The Woodsman wouldn't have known the Fentons, much less where they lived… It just didn't work out. I hope it sounded fine anyway, though.**

 **R &R please! I'd love to know what you thought! I'm trying my best to make this story idea work out, and I hope the first four chapters sound believable and like real episodes could be like. See ya next chapter and thanks for reading! :)  
**


	5. Halfa Hilarity

_**EDIT 8/27/17: Revised word choice and generally improved the writing quality**_

 **Hello all! Sorry for the longer wait... But it'll probably be more like this as this story goes on. I have a feeling most of the future episodes will be even harder to rewrite with Vlad as a good guy… But let's forget that for the moment. Now for reviews and all that good stuff! :D**

 **To** **DannyPhantomPhandom** **: Thanks so much for reviewing on every chapter! It means a lot to me. Hopefully the site is back to normal and will send out alert emails as usual. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **To** **Invader Johnny** **: True, Vlad is going to get progressively less lonely as the series goes on, lol. Thanks for reviewing on all chapters so far and hope you like this one!**

 **To** **Brenne** **: True, Valerie doesn't really deserve her suit… The problem is… Will she let her stuff be taken away? (maybe a spoiler…?) I'll see what I can do with the idea… Thanks for reviewing!**

 **To** **KaliAnn** **: Haha I try! And that was probably a little OOC for Danny… I'm still getting the hang of this. Hope you like this chapter!**

 **To** **ImpudentMiscegenation** **: Haha awesome name! I'm glad you liked this despite its OOC-ness. Thanks from reviewing and enjoy this chapter!**

 **To** **Guest** **: That's a very good point. I suppose I overlooked that… I meant for that remark to be just said out of anger, not actually thought by Vladdie. (lol that nickname though) Thanks for reviewing and bringing that up! I may address it in a chapter or two, but not this one.**

 **To** **potterinu** **: That's so true! I never realized that before… It's like Vlad disappears for 20 years and all of the sudden is obsessed or something. Maybe I'll have to write a prequel to this story about why Vlad didn't act on his "obsession" before now… Thanks for reviewing and I hope you like this chapter!**

 **To** **Commander M** **: Wow, thanks for sending that! I don't know if you wrote it yourself or got it from another source, but either way it's very helpful! One thing I should be doing is making outlines of every chapter... Now that I think about it, making outlines would be very helpful for planning what I'm going to write in the future. If anyone else is reading this, and is also an author, I encourage you to go read this review. It has a lot of good advice and general rules for writing fan fiction. Thanks again! I'm not sure if you're actively reading this fanfic or just noticed I'm a beginner, but either way thanks for reviewing!**

 **Thanks to those who followed or favorited this story before this chapter: Ichigo Snape, ****The Overlord of Fiction** **,** **nightmaster000** **,** **Brenne** **,** **Nothingbutaspectre** **,** **Witchgirl King of all** **,** **Spartan of Chaos** **,** **Phantasmagory** **,** **Littlekitty567** **,** **Green223** **,** **AutobotSeeker98** **,** **Rocky Rooster** **,** **AnimeFanRy** **,** **kylo ren knights of ren** **,** **TheOnyxSnake** **,** **Ariel Night** **,** **Paws-chan65** **, and** **Lobisomen616** **!**

 **And special thanks to** **Phantasmagory** **and** **Lobisomen616** **for faving and following me as an author! That makes three, yay! :D Thanks so much!**

 **ANYWAY, this chapter is the filler chapter before the rewrite of Million Dollar Ghost… (BTW would it be cheesy to make the rewrite title "Billion Dollar Ghost"? xD) I try to think of opposite titles for every chapter I do. I'm sure you noticed something like that… If you have any good ideas for the other episodes I'm gonna rewrite in the future (the list is on my profile), feel free to leave it in a review! I'll give you credit in that chapter if you do send one. Or I can always get creative, it's just a choice if you want to participate.**

 **I apologize in advance for all of the future chapter names I come up with, including this one... xDDD**

 **Also, I've just realized that I've gotten a little mixed up on the sequence of events in the DP universe… Especially since I'm jumping around with the episodes. I'll try to be informed about it for future chapters.  
**

 **Now onto the chapter! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Danny Phantom. I only own the plot of this chapter.**

* * *

 **Halfa Hilarity**

 **RECAP: This takes place right after Life Lessons… But it doesn't have any relations to it, and it's not mentioned anywhere in the chapter.**

"Vlad?"

The man looked up from his seemingly endless paperwork when he heard a voice. He was sitting in his office, as he usually did during his work hours. He had called the source of his grief for the last few days, Valerie Grey, to his house. He wasn't exactly sure what he was going to say or do, yet... But he figured that he would make the correct decision when the time came.

There was a tentative knock at the door. The man muttered a quick, "come in," and the new ghost hunter stepped into the room. She curiously surveyed the desk and walls and slowly walked up to her mysterious benefactor that she hadn't seen until that moment.

"Hello, Valerie." The billionaire said, trying not to convey his disarray through his voice.

"So, you're the one who sent me my suit..." She wondered aloud, studying his face and shifting her weight. "I-I didn't realize you were Vlad _Masters_ , the billionaire..."

"Yes, yes, well it's quite all right," Vlad continued impatiently, "Listen, I think I've made a mistake-"

"Oh, it was no mistake, Mr. Masters!" The girl smiled a little, "With my new suit, you wouldn't believe how much I've helped with the ghost problem in Amity Park!" She paused for a few seconds, looking to the ground. "My dad and I... We used to have so much. A nice house, plenty of money... It was all fine until that annoying ghost kid and his dog ruined it all! Ghosts wrecked my life, Mr. Masters, and now I have a way to change that, both for me and for my dad!"

Vlad frowned in annoyance. "Valerie, that " _annoying ghost kid_ " was Danny Phantom, the ghost I told you specifically _not to fight_."

The teal-eyed girl rolled her eyes in a teenager-esque manner. "I understand that, but _Phantom_ is nothing but a-"

The man interjected crossly, "I understand you two don't get along well at the moment, but that isn't your fault, young Valerie," The billionaire sighed. "I'm afraid it was my poor judgement that caused this." He rubbed a hand across his face. " _Danny Phantom_... is a good ghost, believe me. Not all ghosts have bad intentions. Most just want to be left alone..."

The girl blinked but said nothing, a questioning and confused expression on her face. Vlad realized he shouldn't say any more about the topic and moved on.

"I apologize for all of the trouble, and giving you the suit in the first place. If you would kindly hand it over-"

"E-excuse me Mr. Masters, but... the suit... I've had it for almost a month now. I-I couldn't imagine my life without it. It's almost given me a new purpose. Please... could you let me keep it?"

Vlad frowned and thought for a few seconds, considering the idea. "I don't know what would be the best decision... But I'm sorry, I'm taking the suit back, and that's final. Perhaps I'll give it back in an emergency, if one arises..."

Valerie stared at the man for a few more seconds, hoping for him to change his mind. She finally pulled out her suit with a sigh and reluctantly handed it over.

The grey-haired man smiled gratefully at the girl for giving in willingly. He had honestly expected more of a fight from the former Red Huntress.

"Thank you Valerie, and remember, once I get to know you more, things could change in the future."

With that, the girl left his office without a word.

Vlad knew she was let down by what happened, but she had been a threat to Danny and other innocent ghosts. The elder halfa told himself it was for the best. Or, at least, that's what he hoped.

* * *

Valerie stormed out of Vlad's office and onto the sidewalk, receiving curious glances from a few passersby. She had flown all the way to Wisconsin on her red hover-board, searching for an address of an office building that was left in a letter, only to have her precious suit taken away from her...

That was _not_ the way she imagined her first meeting with Vlad.

She almost couldn't believe it. The man giving her the suit... had been a _mistake_?

Valerie had been helping keep the ghosts at bay in Amity Park, and now Vlad says that most ghosts are " _good?_ "

The girl shook her head in annoyance, fingering her backpack strap. It was considerably less heavy without her suit in it, but she could still feel the weight of the few ghost weapons she still had.

Vlad _technically_ hadn't asked for those back, right?

She could still help fight ghosts if she needed to, but she needed a disguise of some sort...

Valerie could figure that out later. For now, her biggest problem was how to get home without her hover-board.

The former ghost huntress sighed as she decided to call a taxi. She would have fun explaining to her dad why she even _needed_ one, much less to come home from _Wisconsin_.

* * *

"You took away Valerie's suit?!"

"Yes, I did. What, you didn't think I could do it?"

"Well, yeah, I didn't think you could do it... I thought you were too chicken, honestly."

"I'm hurt, Little Badger. _Hurt_."

"You're wrong. _Fruitloops_ can't feel pain. Duh."

It was a few hours after Valerie had come, and Danny had just arrived at Vlad's mansion. The two had been meeting for about two months by then. Since their first meeting, they had gotten much closer... close enough to tease and argue with each other constantly like an old married couple.

Their lessons has skipped around a bit. They had started with ghost rays, then onto intangibility and invisibility, and then ghost shields and overshadowing. Danny had improved a lot with Vlad's help, much more than he would have by himself, or even with Sam and Tucker's assistance.

"So, what's up for today? Duplication? Teleportation? What about moving stuff with our minds? Ooh, how about shape shifting, is that a thing I could do?" Danny (currently in his human form) cheerfully listed off the coolest powers he could think of while he walked with Vlad (also in human form) through the mansion.

Vlad chuckled and rolled his grey-blue eyes at his pupil's excitement. "Oh Daniel, you must be _dreaming_ if you think you could learn the most difficult abilities after only a _year_ , much less a few _months_. I was thinking we'd keep practicing ghost shields today, like we've been doing for the past two weeks. So _exciting_ , huh, Badger?"

The younger halfa mock pouted, causing his mentor to chuckle again at the antics. The two walked into the training room and transformed simultaneously, crossing their legs and floating a few feet off the floor. They closed their eyes and began to meditate, like they had been doing at the beginning of most of the meetings.

"So, Vlad..."

" _Hm_?"

"How's your boring life as a billionaire?"

Vlad snorted. "It's never been _boring_. Just a lot of paperwork, meetings with important people, more paperwork, yelling at employees, even _more_ paperwork..."

"Sounds boring to me. Almost as bad as school. Oh wait, actually it is, because you do it _willingly_."

"You'd do it willingly too, if you were in my shoes."

"If I was in your shoes, I would have already gotten a cat."

"... Shut up, Daniel."

"Make me, old man."

Vlad opened one eye and glared at the boy next to him, who grinned cheekily. It was times like those when the older halfa wondered why he had agreed to teach that boy...

But, he reminded himself of the end result, which was a friendship with the only other person who could understand his predicament, which was the case for the both of them. Vlad was glad they had each other, even if the boy was as annoying as _heck_ sometimes.

"Hey Vlad, wanna see how I can almost duplicate?"

"Fine," Vlad muttered with a sigh, opening his eyes and smiling the tiniest bit at his student. Danny closed his eyes, and in a few seconds... Plasmius was looking at a two-headed Danny Phantom.

"See Vlad, I'm sorta almost there!" The left head said with a smile.

"I would have practiced more, but I was forced to go to the Symposium a couple weekends ago, which went _so well_ , as we both know, and then whenever I tried to practice during the week, a ghost kept interrupting me." The right piped in, rolling his eyes in annoyance

"So it's really not my fault. Anyway, how do I get farther than this?" The left asked.

Vlad held back a laugh and tried to explain. "Well, you see, try to imagine yourself being ripped into two... Or a copy of you appearing beside you... It's hard to explain. It comes with practice, and it's different for every ghost. All you can do is keep practicing, and eventually you'll get the hang of it."

Danny closed both sets of eyes, took a deep breath, and tried again. A white light flared up over his form, and seemed to slowly expand to either side. Vlad watched in surprise; he hadn't expected Danny to get it right away. It had took him _years_ to master that power...

When the light started to subside, there were clearly two Danny Phantoms. They both opened their green eyes. The one on the left looked over at the other and grinned brightly. "I did it!"

The right Danny blinked in shock, then smiled too. "Sweet!"

Vlad shook his head, not believing his student had already done it, after just a few minutes. In a way, he was almost _jealous_ of how easily the boy seemed to pick up his powers.

"Great job!" The black-haired ghost smiled at the two ghosts in front of him, pushing back his slight envy. "You figured that out surprisingly quickly... Of course, there is more to duplicates than just creating them. Once that's done, you need to be able to command them about what to do. Telling them verbally works, of course, but that wastes time when the situation could be dire. Ghosts have the ability to communicate telepathically with duplicates, to quickly and easily let them know what to do or where to go."

Both Dannys nodded, but then clutched their heads. The one on the right dissolved into white light and absorbed into the original.

Phantom frowned and shivered. "That felt weird. I didn't realize how draining it would be to make a duplicate... Much less three like you can!"

Vlad smiled to himself and shook his head a little. "It just takes practice, Little Badger. And yes, as duplicates are created, the power you have splits in half each time. That is the trade off with duplicates; you have less power at your fingertips, but you can do more than one thing at once. It depends on the situation, for what method would be better."

"Cool. I can't wait to show Sam! And Tucker too of course, heh..." Danny blushed a little (green, though, in his ghost form, because of the majority of ectoplasm instead of blood) at his mistake, causing the older ghost to laugh.

"Ah, young love..."

" _Vlad_!" Danny hissed, looking more embarrassed by the second. "I didn't mean it like that and you know it!"

" _Mmhmm_ , of course Daniel... Keep on thinking that." Vlad started flying out of the room.

"I _didn't_!" Danny growled before following. "And it's not like you don't have the same problem, Fruitloop... with my _mom_ of all people!"

Vlad halted in mid-air and sputtered, " _Daniel Fenton_ , you know the situations are different! Plus, I got over Maddie..." There was an awkward silence for a few seconds.

"Doesn't seem like it to me!" Danny said in a sing-song tone and stuck his tongue out, happy not to be the teased one anymore. "See, _this_ is why I told you to get a cat to help you through these tough times as a _crazy old Fruitloop_ -"

"Alright, that's it!" Vlad whipped around and shot towards Danny, causing the younger boy to flicker into intangibility.

"Haha, missed me! Hm, maybe your old age is influencing your fighting ability..."

And the fight was on.

Vlad chased the laughing ghost boy all through the house, never intending to really harm him, of course, but it caused both laughs and training for the two half-ghosts.

Once they had both tired out, a few walls had blast marks, three bookcases had fallen over, and a toilet had come out from the wall and was laying sideways on the bathroom floor, spewing water all over the tiles. (don't even _ask_ about how that had happened...)

Danny flopped down onto a couch face-first and transformed lazily back into a human. Vlad Masters stood across the room, leaning over a table and trying to catch his breath.

"We're _never_... _doing that_... _again_..." Vlad huffed.

" _Agreed_... Fruitloop."

"..."

"Hey Vlad?"

"What _now_?"

"I didn't know you were a cannibal."

" _What_?!"

"I saw a box of Fruitloops in the kitchen. That's cannibalism you know!"

The man groaned and slammed his head down onto the table.

"See, you can't even deny it!"

"Daniel... Please be quiet."

"No thanks Fruitloop."

Vlad sighed loudly.

"But you're still a cannibal."

* * *

 **Ahaha, those crazy shenanigans… This is what I imagined when I first started this series! Just both of them arguing with each other and making each other so annoyed… Is that bad? xDD Well it doesn't matter what you think; I would write this hilarity anyway... Hoped you liked this chapter in all it's OOC-ness! I know it must be so hard to read this story… One chapter they're serious and the next** ** _this_** **happens… But I guess it also shows that they're getting closer. Either that or I'm just a super bi-polar author. Let me know what you think and the next chapter should be out in a week or two! Thanks for reading and leave a review on your way out, if you don't mind! :) :)  
**


	6. Billion Dollar Ghost

_**EDIT 8/27/17: Improved word choice, changed a bit of dialogue to flow better, etc**_

 **Well get ready for the longest chapter yet! xDDD I didn't intend to make it this long, but I couldn't cut out much and still have it make sense. Hopefully you don't get bored of reading so much at once… Now reviews!**

 **To** **Invader Johnny** **: Haha well actually, I did read it somewhere before… I just can't think of what fanfic it was, or what it was about. I suppose some credit goes to that author, but it's hard give credit since I have no clue who it is… Anyway, thanks for reviewing again! It means a lot! Hope you like this chapter too!**

 **To** **Brenne** **: I know right? I kinda like Vlad a lot more when he's not crazy and evil… And let's hope not, for Val's sake. That could get messy… lol. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you like this chapter!**

 **To** **AwesomeAuthor13** **: Thanks for pointing that out! I guess I didn't notice that, lol. I try to substitute several different names and titles for the characters to make it less repetitive… I guess I didn't think about that when I wrote that part. But since it doesn't matter that much to the plot, I won't bother changing it. Thanks so much for reading and telling me though! I hope you enjoy this chapter and please let me know if you find any other mistakes or things I could change for the better!**

 **To** **The Dragon Legend** **: Thank you! Thanks for reading and reviewing, and I hope you like this chapter!**

 **To** **4-thish** **: Thanks so much! I do too, but I ran out of good ones! Hopefully this story is a good enough read for ya… Thanks for R &Ring and I hope you enjoy this chapter also!**

 **To** **The 6** **th** **Spectral King** **: Oh yeah, I'm sorry for the misunderstanding! I didn't make that very clear. I'm going through the whole series of DP, and rewriting all of the episodes with Vlad in them. Sadly, Dani and Dark Dan won't come in for a few more chapters… I could write out of order, but I feel like that would just confuse all of us. I'm sorry for not saying that clearly earlier… If you don't mind sticking around, Dani will come into this, I promise! Thanks for reading and reviewing despite there being no Danielle yet!**

 **To** **Jacobfrit** **: Yay my first "please update" review! Hahaha, thanks for liking it so much! Here's another chapter and there'll be another in a week or two!**

 **Thanks to** **AjaK** **,** **astorii** **,** **Sugar500** **,** **The Dragon Legend** **,** **silentdemise79** **,** **greenbean246** **,** **Ella Le Hissy** **,** **labass** **,** **Marvelgirl16** **,** **Inoue Orihime15** **, and** **The 6** **th** **Spectral King** **for favoriting and/or following this story!**

 **Special thanks to** **silentdemise79** **for favoriting and following me as an author! That makes 4! Woohoo! :D**

 **And here's the super long chapter! :) :)  
**

 **Disclaimer: I only own my part of the plot.**

* * *

 **Billion Dollar Ghost**

 **RECAP: This starts at the beginning of the episode, but Vlad doesn't try to steal a key and get attacked by a ghost monster.**

Vlad sank down onto his puffy leather couch, watching his gigantic flatscreen TV in boredom.

Danny had left from his weekly lesson just a few hours before. The man estimated that it had been almost three months since he had first met the other halfa... He could barely believe it had been that long already. He already felt as if he knew Danny inside and out…

Vlad was brought out of his thoughts when a strange commercial came on. The music seemed to be evil-sounding circus music, strangely enough, and what looked like a gothic clown's face showed up on the screen.

" _I... am Freakshow... Ringmaster of the Circus Gothica, where your nightmares come alive... Circus Gothica, where the clowns never smile... Circus Gothica! Come and get your freak on... with real freaks! Circus Gothica, coming to Wisconsin! Cross over... to the dark side..._ "

Vlad rolled his eyes when he saw it was a commercial for some Goth convention thing (he had a feeling Danny's friend Sam would like that...) but faltered when the ringmaster stood there holding a mysterious, evil-looking red staff.

His eyes widened and he stared at the strange orb, faintly hearing himself say, " _Cross over to the dark side..._ " His vision dissolved into red, and he lost control over his body and thoughts. All that mattered was the staff... And his new master's commands...

Suddenly, a loud alarm rang from the lab downstairs. The billionaire flinched and fell off the couch, rapidly regaining his vision.

"W-what the-" he was interrupted by a computerized voice saying " _Ghost Portal to explode in three, two, one..._ " Vlad's eyes widened comically and he turned intangible just in the nick of time. He felt a huge, firey explosion rock his house, and he shut his eyes tight until things started to settle down again.

When Vlad opened his eyes, he was floating sideways above what _used_ to be his mansion.

He slowly floated to an upright position, and stared in stunned silence for several seconds before yelling, "Ahh! My _house_!"

He surveyed the incredible damage before muttering, "I can always buy another one... But the portal!" His eyes whipped to what was left of his ghost portal. "It'll take me forever to build another one, especially since the blueprints were in my computer!"

He shook his head with a sigh. It seemed he wasn't going to have a portal for a while... But he could always use the Fentons' if he had to go to the Ghost Zone for some reason. Danny would surely let him use it.

His thoughts went back to the strange episode before his house blew up. He couldn't remember much... But he did know for sure that whoever that Freakshow guy was, he was _not_ good news...

* * *

Freakshow grinned when he saw the treasures his pets had stolen just a few minutes before. He'd only been doing the circus for a month or so, and he already had gained _millions_ of dollars! Oh, what fools his ancestors had been for not using the staff to its full potential!

The grinning man looked towards his staff lovingly. It flashed from an orangey shade of red to blood red, and a shape slowly started to form at its center. Freakshow smiled even more at his luck. Another ghost had caught a glimpse of his staff, either in a commercial or on a billboard, or some other method. Soon he would have his own army of ghosts to control at his command!

The head in the staff showed a vampire-like ghost with red eyes and spiked black hair. From the strong glow of the staff, Freakshow could tell that his new minion was very powerful. He couldn't wait to meet the new member of his circus... And welcome him to his new afterlife.

* * *

That night, several hours after the explosion, the elder halfa was on his way to his nearest vacation house (which happened to be his Colorado house in the woods). As he travelled lazily through the night sky, he almost ran into a billboard.

"Whoa!" He yelped and slowed to a stop. The first thing he saw was a faint red color before his vision dissolved into red.

Vlad gasped and fought against the force pushing him from his own head, taking control of his senses.

He had never hated the color red so much.

His mind seemed to fizzle and pop with the pressure, causing him to blink ferociously and clench his gloved hands into fists. But his efforts did nothing in the end, and he was forced to comply. His mind cleared of all thoughts except his new master.

He felt a strange force pulling him toward the north, and he could tell it was his master calling him. He turned around and zoomed back the way he came from. Nothing mattered to him at that moment except obeying...

* * *

"All I'm saying is, you might want to think twice before you barge in like that!" Jazz told her father, "You _really_ got Danny in trouble!"

It was the following evening, and a lot has happened earlier that day at Casper High. First of all, it was the first Ghost Drill the school was having, because of all the ghost attacks in Amity. Unfortunately, Jack Fenton had also got the memo, and came to protect the school from any ghosts. And, well, there weren't any _ghosts_ , but the man did protect the school from _something_... that something being an overweight teacher in a mask... which resulted in detention for the Fenton family's youngest member, Danny.

"Well, you think he's in trouble _now_..." Jack mumbled, motioning to the gigantic mess of ectoplasm and dirty beakers on the lab's desks, as well as an overflowing trash can and plenty of other junk lying around. Needless to say, the lab was a complete disaster. "Look at this place! Danny hasn't cleaned the lab in _weeks_ ; the beakers are caked with goo and... Would you look at that...?" He stared over toward the Ghost Portal. The panel beside it was leaking ectoplasm, and the green light was flashing ominously. "The _Ecto-Filtrator_ hasn't been changed in _6 months_! That can't be good..."

"And it'll be 6 _more_ by the time I get done with all this extra work Lancer assigned me!" Danny stormed into the room, sweat dripping down his face. He threw down his purple backpack with a thud. It was stuffed full with books and papers. "Dad, are you familiar with the term, _"stay away from my school"_?"

Maddie piped in, "Sweetie, relax. You know your dad loves you, and he doesn't mean to make your life more difficult."

The conversation was interrupted by a voice from the TV. " _The hunt is on for the ghost boy_."

"What?!" Danny and Jack exclaimed simultaneously, though for different reasons.

" _As a result of today's false ghost alert at Casper High, the need for competent, non-Jack Fenton ghost hunters in Amity Park has never been more obvious._ "

"Hey, they said my name!" Jack exclaimed in excitement before frowning, "Need for competent ghost hunters? Hm, what is _that_ supposed to mean?" Just then, the invention he was holding squirted green goo all over his face, blatantly answering his question.

" _Luckily, the world's best ghost hunters are coming to Amity to track down Public Enemy Number One, Invisobill, and also keep the ghosts under control_."

Danny, Jazz and Maddie smiled knowingly at each other, "Three, two, one-"

"Nobody's catching that ghost kid but _me_!" Jack shouted, jumping into boxes of inventions and holding the Fenton Bazooka, causing the boxes to fall down with a metallic crash.

"... Danny, clean that up." The large man rushed up the stairs.

The three Fentons still in the lab smirked at each other again at Jack's jealousy and stubbornness.

* * *

The four ghosts flew behind their master obediently with their new stolen valuables, listening blankly as he monologued to himself about some new ghost that was coming.

"He should be here any moment... I'll have to find a place for him in the circus... Hmmm... He could be a vampire, he doesn't even need any face paint or a costume to make it work-"

A figure phased through the wall just then, a cape billowing behind it and red eyes gleaming. It approached the ringmaster slowly, coming to a stop in front of him and awaiting orders.

"Ah yes, new minion, bow to me!" Freakshow sneered. "With your help, I will become the most powerful human ever to exist, much more than my idiot parents!" He cackled madly and rubbed his hands together. "Alright, minions," he held up his staff, which swirled and glowed shades of red. "We're now on our way to Amity Park, Illinois, which is the most haunted city in America! Your job now is to go ahead on the way, and collect anything valuable you find. Now, go!"

All five ghosts nodded at the same time and started to fly away.

"Hold on, minion!" The white-faced ringmaster called to Vlad, who lowered back to the ground.

"Yes master?" His emotionless voice said.

"You seem to be a pretty strong, smart ghost... You'll have a separate mission. Go find any ghosts you can, preferably as powerful as possible. Don't waste your time on the weak ones. And, bring them back to me. We need all the support we can get if we're going to take over!" He grinned as the ghost in front of him nodded and took off.

"Now all I have to do is _wait_..."

* * *

Danny walked out of the Nasty Burger and stopped beside his friend Sam, who looked over at him with a worried frown.

"Danny, aren't you worried? These are the best known ghost hunters in the _world_..."

Danny smiled a little at the girl beside him, "Sam, the best _known_! They're not the _best_!" He grinned over at the people gathered in the parking lot. " _The Groovy Gang and Scaredy Cat_ , the _Extreme Ghost Breakers_ , the Government's ghost hunting squad _Guys in White_..." The two watched the laughable antics happening in front of them. "It's a virtual "who's who" of who can't catch ghosts!" He paused with a grimace, "Which _means_ he should be arriving any second..."

The Fenton Assault Vehicle zoomed up, running over the Ghost Breaker's vehicles in the process. Danny and Sam could hear a faint " _Sorry 'bout that!_ " from the direction of the large vehicle.

"I've got nothing to worry about!" Danny told Sam, smiling at his (unnaturally) good luck.

Just then, Tucker walked up with a ghost costume on to promote his " _Boo-Yah Ghost Tours_ ", causing Jack to squirt him with Ectoplasm.

"I got 'im! Me, Jack Fenton! Danny Fenton's father!"

Danny face-palmed as Tucker pulled off his ghost outfit, and the ghost hunters laughed at Jack's incompetence.

* * *

About twenty feet away on top of a building, Plasmius was peering through a pair of binoculars at Danny, knowing immediately that he was a ghost worth taking to Freakshow. The power radiating from the boy, even as a human, was almost as strong as Vlad's own aura.

As the red-eyed ghost watched the boy talk to his friends, all of the sudden, strange snippets flew through his mind in a whirl: holding the boy unconscious in his arms, watching his white-haired ghost half blast a target, feeling deep anger at ghosts that threatened him, feeling such pride and even a sort of _love_ for the boy... _His student_...

Vlad blinked a few times, the red tint returning to his vision. He shook his head slightly, trying to clear the strange, impossible thoughts from his head. His mission was to _capture_ the younger hybrid, not protect him or care about him! A determined expression appeared on the older halfa's face.

"You know what to do!" He smirked at the vultures beside him (who had also been brainwashed by the staff), ignoring the nonsense that had just happened in his head. The ghost birds flapped their green flaming wings and swooped down to the group of people. Screams filled the air as everyone jumped away from the ghostly vultures.

Jack jumped into action, grinning as he planned to show everyone once and for all, that he was the most qualified ghost hunter out of all of them!

Unfortunately, his attempt ended with a Nasty Burger mascot sign stuck on his head, and the vultures out of sight. Laughter sounded through the parking lot.

"Danny, _do_ something!" The goth girl demanded and stared over at her friend, who had his hand on his forehead for about the third time that day.

"What do you want me to do? I can't _Go Ghost_ here! Besides, nobody's in any real danger yet, right?"

The next thing he knew, two ghost vultures were flying away with a screaming Sam and Tuck in their claws.

Danny sighed, knowing he had jinxed it, _again_. "And, now they _are_. But, wait... Don't those vultures work for Vlad...?" He frowned in confusion, shaking his head. "It must have been a mistake, or maybe they just wanted to come and cause trouble... Yeah, that must be it." He looked at the laughing ghost hunters before slowly backing up around the Nasty Burger. He went ghost and jumped up into the sky, his translucent ghostly tail forming. He had some vultures to catch, and some friends to save.

As the younger halfa shot toward the vultures flying ahead, he felt a gloved hand wrap tightly around his neck and throw him down onto a nearby building. Phantom's green eyes blinked open and peered up into the evening sky, and he stifled a gasp upon recognizing who his attacker was.

" _Vlad?!_ " Danny slowly got up from the cement and stared in confusion and slight fear. The vampire-like ghost floated a dozen feet above, his cape billowing out behind him. Vlad had never treated him that roughly, even when they were mock fighting for training purposes.

"Dear boy," Vlad droned with a smirk, slowly approaching the other ghost. "You're going to come with me if you know what's good for you..."

"V-Vlad _stop it_! This isn't funny!" Phantom got off the roof and flew back a few feet. Vlad's expression was still cold and mindless, and his eyes, which were normally a friendly, dark red color, now appeared bright red and almost seemed to glow. Swirls of different shades were visible, and Danny _knew_ something was not right.

"Snap out of it!" He yelled and shot a weak ghost ray at him. The black-haired ghost swiftly dodged and leapt toward the ghost boy. Danny turned intangible and flew back, continuing to stop his mentor from attacking.

The younger ghost's wide green eyes reflected his confusion and slight fear of the older half-ghost, who had supposedly gone completely nuts. He knew he had to do something to get the other ghost's attention, and hopefully stop him from attacking again.

The younger halfa dodged the powerful pink beams that Vlad had shot toward him, and zipped forward, hoping to hit the man's head and knock him out of his trance.

Vlad swiftly grabbed his student's wrist right before it made contact, sneering at the horrified expression and struggling of his prisoner. The older half-ghost ruthlessly zapped the boy in his clutches with a powerful pink ghost stinger, smirking at his success.

Danny screamed, an uncomfortable and almost painful cold feeling rising from his core. Blurry, soundless memories of the terrible accident that started it all flashed before his clenched eyes, hot tears stinging and prickling. The boy felt an icey blast against his skin as rings of light floated halfway down and up his body. He gasped and heaved as the hot electricity finally ceased, hot tears forming at the corners of his wide blue eyes. He stared in horror and shock at the ghost who had just tortured him with electricity, which was how he had half-died. Ghosts (at least the sentient, somewhat humane ones) had a general rule that if they knew the way another ghost has died, they were never to use that method against it. It was simply viewed as disrespectful and cruel for ghosts to disrespect other ghosts' deadly experiences.

Danny tried to blink back his emotions and let himself hang there, one arm painfully clenched in his mentor's fist, which was his only anchor to not falling down dozens of feet to the rooftop below them.

* * *

Vlad felt numb, his vision swallowed in red. He couldn't tell what was happening or what he was doing... He was just along for the ride. The older halfa was powerless to get himself back under control, no matter how many times he attempted to ignore the strange force or push it out of his head.

A scream pierced through the foggy red glow. The half-ghost's ghost core clenched in his chest when he recognized the scream...

The red blocking his vision was swallowed by a dusky orange sky. Vlad could move again. He blinked a few times and felt something in his clenched hand.

A white and black shape was in front of him. As the picture focused, teary green eyes pierced through his soul.

Phantom was hanging limply in front of him, heaving dryly and not even struggling in the man's tight grip.

Vlad knew at that moment that he had done something terrible.

He slowly dropped through the sky to the top of the building beneath them, letting Danny's feet touch the cement gently. The boy stumbled, still coughing and shuddering. Vlad's throat was hoarse, making it had for him to form words.

"D-Daniel, I-I'm so sorry, I don't know what happened... Red..." His voice was weak as he tried to explain. "Evil... It overtook me... A red staff..." He shuddered at the red, evil feeling he remembered.

Danny stared at Vlad blankly for a few seconds, before nodding slightly and hearing himself muttering, "Okay. I'm fine." But he wasn't sure he believed it himself. His icey cold core throbbed, and his legs shook as they struggled to hold up his weight.

The boy swallowed back the lump in his throat, and turned away uncomfortably. Vlad slowly stepped closer and laid a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder, making him flinch at first. The older halfa's heart almost broke at that sign of fear and distrust.

After a few seconds, the ghost boy leaned into the older ghost's touch. "It's okay, Fruitloop," He took a shaky breath, "I know it wasn't your fault." Vlad opened his mouth to say something in response, but before he could, the boy shot him a small smile and jumped into the evening air and flying back in the direction of Sam and Tucker (who had already escaped from the vultures) and the ghost hunters, the ghostly birds forgotten and gone anyway.

Vlad stared after the black and white blur that was returning to the Nasty Burger. He felt distressed and confused about what the heck had just happened... But he knew above all else, that he had just badly harmed and even betrayed the boy he loved as his own son.

He looked into the distance, where he could still feel a faint pulling force. He shuddered and turned back around, forcing himself not to give in to the urge.

That horrible man... _Freakshow_... had turned Vlad against Danny.

The older halfa almost couldn't believe that he had so easily given in to that _freak's_ control...

Vlad decided to stay far away from Wisconsin, until the ringmaster and his creepy red staff were _long gone_. As much as he wanted to _destroy_ that clown, he couldn't risk being controlled again.

* * *

After a few seconds of flying, Danny had trouble keeping himself in the air, likely because of what he had just experienced. He started to fall, screaming in surprise as he saw the large group of ghost hunters all pointing their weapons toward him.

The worst thing was, he was at a sharp, quick decent straight towards them.

He landed roughly on the cement, rolling over a few times and finally landing on his back. Ghost weapons were pointing at his face from every side.

He grimaced and muttered to himself shakily, "You know, I _think_ I liked it better when they were laughing..."

He laid there for a few more seconds, and Scaredy Cat growled at him.

"Uh... _Boo_?"

The cat jumped in fright with a loud " _mrow!_ " and landed on one of the Guys in White. Danny took that as his chance to leave. He phased through the ground while everyone was distracted.

Jack noticed the ghost's escape and tried to fire at him, but failed in the end, causing the ghost hunters to glare at him.

The man hunched over in defeat. He just couldn't do _anything_ right...

* * *

Later that night, Danny, Sam and Tuck were in the lab next to the ghost portal.

Danny looked at the Ecto-Filtrator blankly, noting how he should be replacing it, but he really didn't feel like it, after what had happened less than an hour before.

Vlad had attacked him... and then had basically _tortured him_ with electricity. The thought made his blood (and ectoplasm) run cold. He shuddered, closing his eyes and wrapping his arms around his thin frame. He knew the other half-ghost was being controlled, and it wasn't his fault, but the ghost boy just couldn't forget the pain and betrayal he had felt.

"Danny..." Sam said quietly, "what happened earlier?"

"Yeah, dude," Tucker added, wiping ectoplasm off of his arms, from his attempt at hosting "ghost tours" earlier that evening. "We can tell something happened... You haven't been yourself since before those vultures left..."

Danny swallowed back the lump in his throat, and replied with the most confident tone he could muster. "Nothing, it's fine. I'm fine." He seemed to be reassuring himself more than his friends.

Sam and Tucker looked at each other in worry, not knowing what had happened, but knowing for sure that it definitely was _not_ fine.

"Let's just get off the topic, okay?" Danny forced the fearful expression off of his face and looked back at his friends "Did you see the way those ghost hunters were laughing at my dad? How embarrassing!" He rolled his eyes, turning back to the Ecto-Filtrator. "We're all going to have to live with my dad's goof-ups for the rest of our lives..."

He was met with silence, until Sam cleared her throat awkwardly.

"...He's right behind me, isn't he...?"

"Yes, I'm afraid he is..." Jack muttered sadly in third person. "If you need me, I'll be upstairs, doing something wrong..." He left the lab, obviously feeling bad.

All three of them were silent for a few seconds, until Danny sighed, feeling even worse than before. "Great. Now I'm just as bad as the ghost hunters..."

"Well there's only one thing that's going to cheer him up... Catching a ghost!" Sam suggested with a smile.

"Yeah... And not just _any_ ghost..." The ghost boy forced a smile as he transformed. "Public Ghost Enemy Number One!"

* * *

Less than half an hour later, Danny was crammed into the Fenton Vacuum, and his dad was carrying him down the stairs to the lab, possibly to question and/or dissect him.

 _Well_ , Danny thought dryly as his container was knocked around a little, _this is definitely not what I wanted, or expected, to happen..._

"Please... Stop! You don't know what you're doing-"

"I know exactly what I'm doing, ghost kid! I'm earning a bigger place in my son's heart!"

The ghost inside the vacuum sighed. "Thanks, now I'm crushed by space _and_ guilt..." He muttered. "Look... You have to listen to me-EEEEE!"

Before he could process what was happening, he had landed on his face in a ghost-proof containment unit in the Fentons' lab. He sat up and looked around a bit before returning his green gaze to his father.

"Oh please, ghost, why should I listen to you?" Jack asked with a glare. "Face it, there's no way out of this ghost-proof Fenton Containment Unit!"

Danny slowly floated over to the closest glass-like wall, and laid a hand on it. He tried to go intangible through it, but his efforts were futile.

"See, ghost?" Jack grinned. "I've done it! I've caught the ghost kid! Me, Jack Fenton!"

Danny rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help feeling a knot of fear and worry in his stomach. There was no easy way out of _this one_...

* * *

Vlad Plasmius phased into FentonWorks invisibly. He had nothing better to do than find Danny again, since he was reluctant to go anywhere near the creepy red staff...

He slowly floated further into the house, listening for any voices or footsteps. Hearing none, he continued flying through the house. He decided to check the basement first.

Once the older halfa had lowered down into the lab, he saw Danny Phantom sitting in some sort of glass cage with a bored look on his face.

The ghost looked up with a small smirk. "'Bout time, Fruitloop."

"Little Badger, don't tell me you actually _let Jack catch you_..." Vlad said in disbelief, causing the boy to glare at him, which proved the older man's statement to be true.

After a few more seconds, the younger halfa was free from the trap, with the older's help.

"Thanks." The boy said, looking to the floor.

"Danny…" Phantom looked up in slight surprise; that was the first time Vlad had called him by his preferred name, as far as he could remember. "I'm _so sorry_ about-"

"I told you it was fine, Vlad." The teenager rolled his eyes and grinned. "No harm done in the end, right?"

"Little Badger, I'm pretty sure I'd count you being almost _afraid_ of me as _harm do_ -"

A glowing string wrapped around Vlad's waist from behind, pinning his arms to his sides.

"What the-" he turned around to see that Jack had caught him. "Oh you have _got_ to be kidding me..." Vlad flexed his arms, breaking the Fenton Fishing Line.

He prepared to grab Danny's arm and fly them both out of there, but before he could, he was hit in the chest by an Ecto-gun, which knocked him back a few feet into a wall.

"The Wisconsin Ghost!" Jack exclaimed, stepping down into the lab.

"Oh, and if it isn't _Jack Fenton_ ," Plasmius said sarcastically. "I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting _formally_."

"Oh _come on_ , he gets to be known as " _The Wisconsin Ghost_ " and I get the stupid name " _Invisobill_ "?!" Danny complained. "That isn't fair!"

" _Life_ isn't fair, Little Badger." Vlad smirked, causing Danny to stick out his tongue out childishly.

"Alright spooks-" Jack's threat was interrupted by an automated voice.

"Fenton Portal to explode in 30, 29, 28..."

The two ghosts and human looked at each other in blank shock for a few moments, before Danny flew up and disappeared into the ceiling, and then re-appeared on the stairway in his human form.

Vlad took that as his chance to keep Jack occupied. "Ugh, why do I always get the most painful jobs?" He grumbled to himself before getting attacked by the angry ghost hunter.

Danny ran to the portal and removed the Filtrator, almost dropping it in his hurry. "The new Filtrator... _Where's the new Filtrator?!_ " He freaked out before his dad handed him a new one. Danny saw that Vlad was slumped against the wall, and his dad had left the ghost there to help his son for a few seconds.

"Uh... I _probably_ should have done this any of the 5 times that you told me to..." Danny said with a guilty smile.

Jack smiled, "Just change it, Dann-o, before-"

A warning alarm sounded as there were only 5 seconds left. The boy frantically shoved the new Filtrator in, preventing the explosion just in time.

The halfa wiped the sweat off his forehead, relieved beyond belief that he had done it.

Jack grabbed a scraped up and bruised Vlad by the front of his suit and carried him to the portal, which automatically opened.

"Let _go_ of me you _incompetent-_ "

"Whatever you say, spook." Jack grinned and threw Vlad face-first into the portal. Danny smiled at the ghost's act to seem like the bad guy. He knew the other halfa had been beat up pretty bad by Jack, and the ghost boy _did_ feel a little guilty about that, but he knew Vlad would be fine, with his advanced healing and all.

Plus, it was payback for the older half-ghost's cockiness and smart remarks to Danny, which were said pretty much _every time_ they had seen each other.

* * *

"Now, you see, that's exactly what would happen if you don't change the Ecto-Filtrator every six months!"

"Why do you even have that simulation on your laptop?"

"So I never forget to tell you how important it is to change the Ecto-Filtrator." Jack and Danny had just watched an animation of FentonWorks blowing up in a firey explosion. The two were happier now that they had both worked together to save their house from exploding, and made up in the process.

"I won't, and you shouldn't forget this... I'm really proud of you, Dad. I can't believe you beat that ghost back into the Ghost Zone!" Danny grinned at the thought of Vlad letting his former best friend beat him up, even when it would have been so easy to fight back. The ghost boy figured he really owed Vlad now…

"Ah, thanks, Danny! So, for here on in-"

"I'll remember my chores-"

"And I'll remember that my actions have consequences to others, especially my family."

The two walked away, relieved that the problems they had encountered that day were finally resolved.

* * *

Vlad drifted through the Ghost Zone, processing what had just happened. That day was one of the craziest yet... But knowing how strange his and Danny's lives were anyway, it wasn't a _huge_ surprise…

 _Oh butter biscuits_ , Vlad thought in annoyance, _I forgot to tell the Little Badger more about that creepy clown and his staff..._ He shrugged, _I'll just tell him in a few days. Besides, Freakshow is still in Wisconsin, pretty far away from Amity Park. I'm sure it'll be fine..._

* * *

Freakshow grinned as his circus vehicle finally reached the outskirts of Amity Park. He had practically driven the whole day, to reach Amity by nightfall. His commercials were first airing tomorrow morning, and his first show was scheduled for the following night.

Everything was going smoothly for the ringmaster, much to his liking. Except, his new minion hadn't returned…

Freakshow sighed. "Probably came in contact with his obsession... That's how ghosts break out of the staff's control anyway. I knew I shouldn't have sent him alone... Oh well. I'll surely have more success tomorrow!"

The ringmaster settled down into his bed for the night, with high hopes for the following day. Little did he know, the next day would bring both successes _and_ failures.

* * *

 **Haha, and that ends Billion Dollar Ghost, leading up to Control Freak, which happens the next day... I know it was pretty OOC, but I'm tryin' here ok? xD Feel free to review with any questions, comments, flames (but I sure hope not, lol), criticism, mistakes I made that should be fixed, or whatever else you wanna say. See you guys next chapter! :)  
**


	7. Switched Perspective

**Hey, Specter14 here! This is an original chapter/episode, slightly based off Memory Blank. I had fun with it. I also ended up making some fanart of sorts, just to help me visualize the different appearances (you'll find out soon enough).**

 **They're on my new Deviantart page, PhantomS14, so go ahead and type _phantoms14 . deviantart . com_ (without the spaces) and you can go see it! **

**I apologize for the cringy artwork... xDDD But I suppose it's better than nothing. You can go take a look now, or do it once you get to that part, or not at all if you just want to let your own imagination paint the picture. Whatever you'd like.  
**

 **Anyway, reviews! :D**

 **To** **Invader Johnny** **: Haha yes, I totally should have said that last chapter… Thanks for reviewing and hope you like this one!**

 **To** **Sockenmonster01** **: Yeah, I did too… I'm such a mean author, lol. I love those moments, and I hope to write about more soon! Certainly at TUE, I was already planning that even… Just a few chapters from now! Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

 **To** **Lightning Streak** **: Thanks so much! Wow, I didn't expect you to be reading this crappy first fanfic! Thanks so much for reviewing; it means a lot to me! Hope you don't cringe too much (lol) and enjoy this chapter too!**

 **To** **memmek10k** **: Thank you, and thanks for reading and reviewing!**

 **To** **AwesomeAuthor13** **: Wow thanks! I honestly thought last chapter was kinda bad compared to the others, lol. Thanks for reading and reviewing and please enjoy this chapter too!**

 **To** **KaliAnn** **: Wow, thanks so much! I didn't actually mean to do that, at least the way I did, but I'm glad you liked it! More about that will come later in the series, I'm sure. Thanks for R &Ring!**

 **To** **Brenne** **: Haha yep, Freakshow's gonna get it if he messes with Vlad's Little Badger… Thanks so much for reading and reviewing, and I hope you like this chapter too!**

 **To** **Rocky Rooster** **: Yeah, that's true. I guess it was getting pretty forced… Thanks so much for your feedback! I'm sure more original stuff would be more exciting to read than writing similar to the episodes. Thanks again for R &Ring, and I really appreciate you saying that. Wasn't negative at all, if it helps me become a better author!**

 **To** **DannyPhantomPhantom** **: Hahaha, yeah, I wonder what Val's up to… Can't be anything good… And I assure you, Vlad will get a cat soon! :D Ahhh, I can't wait to write that part… And true, OOC is bound to happen in a fic like this… Now I'll go prepare the torture chamber… I just need a chair with arm and leg restraints, and a TV with MLP playing. xDDDD That'll give him what he deserves… Thanks so much for reading and reviewing every chapter! x3**

 **To** **nathan-x** **: Thank you, I'm glad you like it so much! And about that… I wasn't planning for that to be the case, because Jack and Maddie are supposed to be married… So with that idea, either Maddie cheated or a ghost did it. Of course the ghost thing could work too, lol. Thanks for reviewing! I may write that in a one-shot series in the near future, of storylines I don't want included with this fic, like reveal scenarios and other things like that. Watch out for it, and I hope you like this chapter!**

 **Thanks to DragonNOOB, memmek10k, tobi1989, NicNack4U, Kokuyoseki no ketsueki, WanderingTales, Owlites, and lexi1220 for favoriting or following before this chapter!**

 **Special thanks to DragonNOOB for favoriting and following me as an author! That makes 5! Growing slowly but steadily… Thanks so much! :) :)  
**

 **After that huge authors note, here's the chapter! Don't forget to look at the linked fanart on my profile, if you want. It'll (probably) do more help than harm… But look at your own risk! xD  
**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from the show Danny Phantom, but I guess I own my older and younger versions of them… And I own the main plot.**

* * *

 **Switched Perspective**

A beam of sunlight shone over his closed eyes. With a mumble, he turned his head into his pillow and snuggled further into the fluffy warmth. What seemed like only a few seconds later, a soft beeping noise cut through the comfortable silence.

Vlad buried his face further into the pillow and tried to ignore the annoying sound, which was steadily getting louder and louder. Finally he slammed a hand over to where the beeping was coming from, knocking the alarm clock down with a crash.

"Vlad, wake up!" He heard a feminine voice through the door. "We're going to be late for school! I'm leaving without you if you aren't ready in the next 15 minutes!"

"Wha?" Vlad blearily opened his eyes and yawned. He stumbled out of bed, rubbing his eyes and almost tripping over his own feet. He felt... shorter, and more awkward than usual... With a surprised yelp, he steadied himself against the door that he heard the voice come from. He turned around and surveyed the space in front of him.

He recognized the room, but it looked... _different_...

A few posters were scattered across the dark green walls, each advertising a band or what looked like blueprints for model buildings and cars (Vlad had wanted to be an architect when he was younger, but that had changed as he grew older). A half-made twin-sized bed with green covers extended from the left wall to the middle of the room, and a white nightstand sat beside it. A broken alarm clock was hanging down from it by the chord. A desk covered in papers and writing utensils was against the far wall.

He was startled out of his thoughts when someone banged on the door he was leaning on.

"Ahh, what is it?!" He snapped, then gasped silently when he heard his own voice... He didn't remember his voice being that _high_...

"Are you up yet? Can I come in or-" It was the same girl as before.

"W-wait, don't come in! I'm... _naked_..." He blushed at that terrible excuse, but it was the only thing he could think of at the moment.

"O- _kay_... V, just get some clothes on and come down for breakfast..." The girl said in embarrassment, and then left the door again.

A few minutes later, Vlad rushed out of the room with some clean clothes on and a blue backpack he had found by his bed. He opened doors in the hall until he found a bathroom, which he stepped into and closed the door. He stared at his reflection.

A mop of spiky, shiny raven hair hanging in front of his dark blue eyes, and reaching his shoulders in the back. No beard and a more rounded chin. A simple, forest green T-shirt and dark blue jeans. Short and thin frame. Dumbfounded expression.

Yep... Vlad was a teenager.

He almost screamed, but managed to catch himself before he did.

His eyes widened in horror as he remembered what had happened...

* * *

 _"Look Vlad!" Three Danny Phantoms shouted. "I made two duplicates, instead of just one!"_

 _Vlad turned around in surprise and watched Danny close his eyes and try to mentally command the duplicates. The boy had just learned how to make a duplicate a few weeks before, and now he had already been able to make another._

 _"Wow, Daniel, nice job!" He called, making the original ghost boy grin. His duplicates flew off in separate directions. One shot at targets, and the other flew around the room at top speed. So, the halfa had mastered telepathy with them, too._

 _Vlad sighed to himself. "Sometimes I wish I was more like_ you _, Little Badger..."_

 _"Your wish is my command..."_

* * *

Vlad blinked out of his flashback, scowling when he realized what had happened. He felt numb as he realized what house he was in.

He held his breath and listened into the muffled conversation from downstairs.

"-told Vlad to come down... He seemed to act weirder than normal this morning."

"Oh sweetie, he's just a teenage boy. Try not to be so hard on him."

"No need, Maddie. Fenton men can handle anything!"

The back of Vlad's head hit the tile floor, and everything faded to black.

* * *

With a groan, he blinked open his eyes to see blurry shapes. After his eyes adjusted, the last three people he wanted to see were huddled around him, looking down in worry.

"Are you okay, honey? We heard a loud thud and came running... I guess it's a good thing we did." Maddie was knelt down beside him, rubbing his back.

"Mom, can you write us a note? We're surely going to be late to school... If Vlad is even going, now." Jazz muttered, but also looked concerned for her "brother".

"Come on V-man, you're fine! No fall can stop a Fenton from doing what needs to be done, _am I right_?" Jack grinned and pulled his "son" up off the floor. "Now let's get you some breakfast before scho-"

"N-no, I'm fine. I don't need anything, let's just go. _Now_." Vlad pulled his arm out of Jack's firm grip and ran downstairs. He heard Jasmine shouting for him to slow down, but he ignored it and went out the front door.

He stopped at the driveway, panting and holding a hand to his forehead. _This is officially the strangest thing that has ever happened to me..._ He thought to himself, still in a state of shock.

He heard the sound of a car door opening, and saw that Jazz had just gotten into the normal car in the driveway, which was parked beside the Fenton RV.

Vlad hopped in and shut the door, looking down at his green and white tennis shoes and unsure of what to say to his "sister".

"Is something wrong V?" Jazz asked as she pulled out of the driveway. "You seem so off today..."

Vlad opened his mouth and closed it again, debating whether to tell Jazz about what was happening. Would it mess up everything if anyone but himself knew? Would the girl even _believe_ him?

Before he knew it, they were at the school. The orange-haired girl pulled into an open space and parked. She didn't get out of the car, though, and Vlad knew it was because she was waiting for an answer.

"I-I'm fine. I've just got stuff to figure out, is all." He internally flinched at his teenage voice, which sounded higher than he remembered it being.

"You know you can always talk to me, right V?" Jazz ruffled his hair and got out of the car. "I'm your older sister, not the school guidance counselor!" He followed her out of the car and into the school, what used to be Danny's school...

"I'll remember that." Vlad told the girl with a faked smile, as they parted ways to their separate classes. He looked at his school schedule sheet, which was from more than a month ago, to get to the right classroom. He had no idea how he would make it through the day... Or what he was going to do to change everything back to normal.

He froze in the hallway, eyes widening. He just realized... What about his ghost powers? And more importantly, _Danny_?

Vlad looked in all directions, and seeing no one, he tried to phase his hand through a nearby locker.

His attempt just gave him bruised knuckles, and a sinking feeling.

He continued walking to his classroom, which was just down the hall, according to the room numbers and the crumpled paper in his hands. About Danny... Vlad didn't know if he had replaced the boy altogether, or if they had switched places with each other... Either way, the situation was worse than Vlad had realized.

Vlad wondered with slight amusement if Danny was now a lonely billionaire living in Wisconsin... _Oh, the irony_ , if _that_ was true.

When Vlad went into the classroom, he observed a bald, overweight man in the front, giving a lecture about something. Everyone stared at Vlad when he opened the door.

"Ah, Mr. Fenton. I was wondering if you'd show up or not." He took the parent note from Vlad and motioned him to the only empty seat. "Now get to your seat. We had just started a very intriguing conversation about Hansel and Gretel-"

While walking through a row between desks, Vlad was tripped by a large, blond boy, who snickered along with the Asian boy next to him. The former billionaire glared and continued to his seat.

"Why were you late?" A whisper reached his ear, causing him to look to the left. Ironically, Sam Manson was sitting there and frowning at him worriedly. Vlad whipped his head to the right and saw Tucker Foley looking at him with a similar expression.

 _So Samantha and Tucker are_ my _friends, now, hm?_ Vlad thought with both amusement and dread.

"I'll tell you later..." Vlad whispered back and looked forward at the teacher. He would have to figure out what to do after school ended for the day.

* * *

It was the end of the school day, and Vlad had completely forgotten what a _drag_ school was. The day felt like it was going to go on _forever_.

He was walking out if the front doors with Sam and Tuck by his sides. He still didn't know if he should tell them anything about what had happened or not.

On one hand, they had been especially helpful to Danny, when he fought ghosts. On the other, Vlad didn't even _have_ ghost powers yet, and he would have to explain just about _everything_ to them about the Ghost Zone, halfas, and what he did to mess up reality.

He wasn't looking forward to that. _At all_.

He sighed and shook his head as he decided to bring them along. He figured the more people he had on his side, the better.

"Uh, Vlad, why such a serious face?" Tuck asked. "Dash actually didn't bother us that much today, and the teachers weren't as crabby as usual! I think that calls for a celebration!" He grinned.

Sam rolled her eyes. "If by " _celebration_ ", you mean going to the Nasty Burger to eat some more dead animals, then we have one _every_ school day."

Vlad stifled a chuckle and turned toward his "house" FentonWorks. "Actually, I have something else planned." He opened the door to the house and let out a sigh of relief when he realized that none of the Fentons were home. Well, except him, but referring to _himself_ as a Fenton was the _last_ thing he wanted to do.

He opened the door to the lab and ran down, the lights blinking on automatically. He looked to the wall in front of him, which held the never-before-used Ghost Portal.

He looked back and saw that his two "friends" had followed him down the stairs, and were staring at him in confusion.

"Um, is something wrong Vlad?" Sam asked. "You've been acting really weird today... And now you bring us down to your parents' lab, which you haven't been at _all_ interested in before now."

"Yeah dude, what she said."

"Just hold on. I'll explain after I get this over with..." Vlad blew out a breath of air and stepped toward his fate.

He tried to remember what Danny had done... He vaguely remembered the boy saying at one point, something about an _on_ button being on the inside.

Vlad went into the portal and stepped carefully over wires and sparking areas. He caught a glimpse of a panel on his left, and looked over to it to see a green and red button beside each other.

"Hold on, Vlad! What the _heck_ are you doing?!" Sam shouted in confusion and surprise.

"Get outta there, you don't know what could happen!" Tuck yelled, reluctant to follow the other boy.

" _I know what I'm doing!_ " Vlad snapped and slammed a hand down on the green button. Everything lit up around him, blinding him with white light, and a humming noise shook the portal's metal walls. All of the sudden, energy hit him all over, running over and around and through his body. It felt as if he was getting swallowed by fire and frozen by ice and dropped into a pit of acid, all at the same time. A scream was forced from his throat, but he couldn't even hear it over the roar of the portal powering up.

He couldn't tell if the immense, incredible pain lasted for seconds or hours.

Numb and deaf, he felt himself jolt as he hit the metal ground. He felt the familiar hot feeling through his body, which signified that his warm ghost core was back.

Vlad was a halfa again.

After experiencing what Danny had in that portal, the striking, splitting, never-ending electricity and ectoplasm being fused to his very bones and DNA, Vlad suddenly felt grateful for the way he had gotten his powers, in another life.

He floated upright, and out of the hole in the wall, into the view of the two other teenagers down there with him. Their horrified expressions assured him further that it had worked.

Vlad propelled himself toward a panel of shiny metal on the wall. He studied his new reflection.

White hair seemed to spike up in a similar hairstyle to him as Vlad Plasmius. He didn't have green skin like his other ghost form, but the same shade that he had as a human. His clothes had changed into a red T-shirt and white jeans, as well as black and red tennis shoes. Only his irises glowed red; his eyes still were mostly white, like in his human form.

Scarred for life from his disheveled teenage ghost form, Vlad turned around to face his dumbfounded "friends," who stared at the white-haired ghost.

He rolled his eyes and started testing out his powers. Soon he found that he didn't have control over any of them, much to his annoyance.

"So _this_ is what it's like..." He grumbled as he tried and failed to power up an ecto-blast.

"V-Vlad..." Sam almost whispered to her friend. "A-Are you... a _ghost_?!"

"Half-ghost actually." The former billionaire replied. "Believe me, explaining much more would just make you even _more_ confused."

The two humans looked at each other and then back at him.

"Alright," Vlad clapped his hands together, still floating a few feet off the ground. "Who wants to go find Danny, who may or may not be a lonely billionaire living in Wisconsin?"

Sam and Tucker stared even more.

"Just _come on_!" Vlad picked both of them up, one in each arm. He started for the portal, which was lit up with green swirls.

" _Vladimir Fenton_ , are you _crazy_?!" Sam snapped, struggling to get down from his hold. Vlad rolled his eyes at his (false) full name. "First you _shock yourself to death_ in your parents' ghost portal, and then you want to take us _into the portal_ when you don't even know what could-"

"Don't tell me I don't know what's in the Ghost Zone! I've been traveling in there for the better part of 20 years now, _girl_!" He snapped, not caring that he was the same age as her in his current body. "So don't tell me what I can and can't do!"

"Who _are you_?!" Tucker asked in surprise and confusion. "And _what have you done with our friend_?!"

"Hate to break it to you, Tucker," Vlad smirked, "but your friend was never meant to be your friend... At least in this way. Your real friend is most likely a middle-aged man in Wisconsin... Okay _before you comment_ -" He said, seeing that both of the teenagers in front of him looked even more shocked than before, and got ready to explain. "This is a true story. I'm really a 48-year-old billionaire, Vlad Masters, who lives in Wisconsin. I'm also a half-ghost hybrid, Vlad Plasmius. Danny Fenton, who is your friend in my timeline, and is also a half-ghost, Danny Phantom, and me switched places... So I need to go find him to set things right, or else I could be stuck like this _forever_!"

After a few seconds of silence, Tucker started laughing so much he fell onto the floor. Vlad's hands lit up with pink ecto-energy.

" _I'm telling the truth!_ "

"Yeah I don't doubt that; no one could think up a story that crazy." He wiped a tear from his laughing spell. "It's just so funny thinking that an old man got stuck in _your body_ , you know?"

"Just be quiet boy." Vlad muttered. "Are you coming with me or not?"

"I don't see why not."

" _Tucker!_ "

"Sam, he obviously needs our help. Plus, couldn't time really get messed up if he stays like that?"

"But we know nothing about fighting ghosts!"

Vlad intervened the argument, "You won't be fighting any ghosts, we'll just be persuading Danny to _not_ fight us, and then to help us fix this."

* * *

Vlad flew through the Ghost Zone with Sam and Tucker in his arms. He couldn't go very fast, and he had nowhere near as much control over his powers as before, but it was better than nothing.

The ghost boy flew to where his portal normally was, and luckily, it was still there, in the same exact place.

 _So Danny really is like me, now_... Vlad thought and hoped that older Danny would take him seriously.

Vlad entered the lab, which was surprisingly similar to his own. He took a deep breath before going further into the house. He phased up through the ceiling.

A figure approached as soon as they emerged up.

" _Who are you?_ " A deep, threatening voice questioned, and green energy lit up around the figure's clenched fists.

Vlad set the two humans down and moved protectively in front of them. "My name is Vlad Masters... well, Vlad _Fenton_ currently... I made a stupid wish, and Desiree granted it in the worst way possible, like she _always_ does." He rolled his eyes. "We ended up switching places, Danny."

The figure stepped into the light, a menacing look on his face. It was Danny, but it _wasn't_. He was taller and more buff, and had dark grey hair, with some white mixed in on top. His face was framed with sideburns and a small grey goatee. He wore a dark grey suit and blue tie, and studied the trio with ice blue, calculating eyes.

"And why should I trust _you_?" He growled, advancing further. "You're just some ghost kid."

Vlad transformed into a human and then back into a ghost, with the pitch black rings. Danny stared in shock at the action, and the cockiness it was done with.

The man's eyes flared in anger and he transformed himself with white, icey hoops moving up and down his form. Ice blue eyes turned to radioactive green. The suit and tie changed into a skintight, black and white suit accompanied with white knee-high boots with black and green designs. A green belt hung around his waist, with a black DP symbol over a white circle as the clasp. A green and white cape fluttered behind him with an imaginary breeze. Dark grey hair with white at the tips changed to the opposite: mostly white that slowly turned into black closer to the top of his head.

He bared his fangs and lit his hands up with energy. "Get _out of my house_ , you _crazed up Fruitloop_!" Vlad rolled his eyes at the ironic name.

"You've got to believe me, I swear I'm-" Vlad was cut off by Danny's fist around his throat. With a surprised grunt, he found himself slammed against the wall with a ticked off ghost glowering at him.

Vlad saw movement in the corner of his eye, and heard Sam yell, "Let _go_ of him!" The angry halfa blatantly ignored the Goth girl's shout and threw Vlad across the room, shooting bright green ecto-blasts at him as he fell.

Vlad tried to go intangible, but couldn't control that power at all when he needed it. He attempted to send back pink ghost rays of his own, but missed by several feet each time.

"Stupid powers..." He grumbled to himself as he dodged Danny's next attacks.

He had imagined this going _much_ better in his head...

All of the sudden, he felt himself being picked up and phased through the floor. He was thrown down onto the floor beside the portal.

" _Get lost_. I have better things to do than participate in practical jokes." Danny said threateningly. Sam and Tucker were thrown down next to Vlad.

"It's _not_ a _practical joke_!" Vlad shouted, his eyes glowing in rage. He stormed up in front of Danny, who looked surprised at the outbreak. "And the worst thing is, I could see myself doing the same thing you are! _I know how you feel!_ I was once in your shoes, refusing to listen to anyone and wanting to be alone, for more than 20 years... But then I met Danny, who you're _supposed_ to be. The most sarcastic, optimistic, _selfless_ 14 year old boy who has ever existed, I'm sure of it." Vlad took a slow breath, and let it out. Danny was shocked into silence, touching his feet onto the ground and letting his built up green energy dissipate. "And I messed it all up. It's not meant to be this way... I _have_ to fix this, no matter how much you refuse to listen. I'll do it on my own if I have to... But I'd like your help, if you're willing to give it."

His rant was followed by an awkward silence. Vlad felt the eyes of the others on him, but he didn't care. He did what he had to do, to fix reality.

After a few more seconds, Danny's quiet, low voice could be heard. "We can just find Desiree and make another wish... I think that'll do the trick."

Vlad blinked, then slapped his forehead. " _Why didn't I think of that?_ I could have just gone to her without any of the trouble of coming over here..."

Danny chuckled a little at the other half-ghost's misfortune and led the way into the ghostly green dimension waiting in front of them.

* * *

For the next few minutes, Vlad and Danny were flying though the Ghost Zone, on the way to Desiree's lair (they had left behind Sam and Tucker because they weren't really needed to finish the job).

As soon as they were within 20 feet of the Arabic-style house, Desiree came out with a flick of her cyan blue ghost tail.

She smiled mysteriously at the two halfas "What brings you two to my domain, _hmm_? The desire for fame, fortune, _power_ -"

"I wish I was Vlad Masters again, and Danny was Danny Fenton, and nothing was different than when I first made the wish."

She sighed in disappointment, seeing no way to grant it in an unforeseen way. "You're no fun. But, _your wish is my command_..." She snapped her fingers, and a white light lit up everywhere, blinding Vlad as the wish was reversed.

* * *

When Vlad blinked his eyes open, he heard blasts from across the room. He turned his head to see Danny's three forms still training.

The billionaire let out a sigh of relief as he realized he was in his own body again. Well, his normal middle-aged ghost form, Vlad Plasmius.

From the looks of it, no time had passed since he had gone, but it actually felt like more than 12 hours since Vlad was in the training room with his student. The halfa didn't know that Desiree had power over time, or at least enough to freeze a timeline for that long.

As he watched the ghost boy in front of him, Vlad smiled to himself. He was very proud of Danny, and nothing could change that. Now he had experienced similar situations as the boy, including being inside the dreadful portal and fighting a much more powerful enemy with few powers and little control over them. It made the older halfa realize how tough Danny had it, at least at first.

Of course, Vlad was also scarred for life from seeing their roles switched, and his former crush Maddie being his mother... He figured he would never see the ghost hunter the same after that... and _not_ in a good way…

But at the end of the day, Vlad was glad it had happened. He no longer felt jealousy or resentment towards the younger boy across the room; they both had their shortcomings and advantages over each other, and Vlad was fine with that.

* * *

 **Hm… So, I really don't know what the response to _that_ will be… xDDD There's only one way to find out, though. The review button is right down there, waiting for you to click it…  
**

 **Also, if you didn't read it in one of the review responses, I may start a one-shot series that goes with this fic, with reveal ideas and other things I don't want to actually add to the actual story. Look out for it! I already have a few ideas. If you have any of your own, feel free to leave them in a review!**

 **EDIT: About the ghost cores, and why I kept Vlad's as fire and Danny's as ice, is because I figure that the fire and ice thing wasn't random. Like, Danny, however old he may be or what position he's in, would have an ice core. I think of it as a part of them, that can't be changed or tampered with, you know? Just my few cents on that.**

 **Anyway see y'all next chapter! :)  
**


	8. Glimmering Guardian

**Hey! Sorry it took so long for this to get posted… I started the one-shot partner story thing (** **Of Fruitloops and Badgers** **, if you wanna go check it out) and then I started a few new ideas, but none of them really worked as a chapter. I ended up adding to this one, but I kept changing it to make it sound better… Hopefully it's pretty good now.**

 **I'll be posting another chapter to OFAB soon too, so watch out for that! I also have a buncha ideas for future stuff for this story, and some for the next chapter too. Hopefully it'll come to me faster than this did.**

 **To** **The 6** **th** **Spectral King** **: Thanks for reviewing! I did add a snippet about that, once I saw your review. I had the powers stay the same because I kind of see it as something that has to do with a ghost's soul or something, like they'd always have a certain core no matter where they were born or how old they are. It could go either way, though. I might post an alternate ending to Of Fruitloops and Badgers, for if they exchanged powers. Thanks again for R &Ring and I hope this chapter is better! :)  
**

 **To** **Invader Johnny** **: Yep, lessons are learned by both of them, even though Danny's really the student! Thanks for continuing to read and review every chapter! :D  
**

 **To** **KaliAnn** **: Thank you for reading! I suppose getting a wish granted by Desiree is a good way to literally walk in someone else's shoes, huh? Haha, thanks again and hope you like this chapter! :)  
**

 **To** **AwesomeAuthor13** **: Haha thank you! I hope I can continue to get better at this, and write interesting and entertaining chapters. Thanks for reading and reviewing and hope you enjoy this chapter too! :)  
**

 **To** **Brenne** **: Yep, that certainly would make Vlad look at her different, lolol. And true, I bet he enjoyed not being old for a day… Thanks for R &Ring! I hope you like this chapter too! :)  
**

 **To** **DannyPhantomPhandom** **: OH MY! DO WE HAVE ANOTHER WHITE & GOLD / BLUE & BLACK DRESS ON OUR HANDS?! I laughed out loud at that, hahaha! I mean I've always thought of Plasmius' skin as green… But now that I look at him again, it could be blue… I'm confusing myself. xDDD I'm totally putting that as a review poll, at the end. We'll see how many people see it as blue and how many green! And yeah… I scarred myself too. Why do you come up with this stuff, brain, ****_why?_ Lol, _t_** **hanks for reading and reviewing! Hope you like this chap too! :)  
**

 **To** **Rocky Rooster** **: Haha that's good! Thanks for giving me the advice in the first place! This is another original chapter, but next one should be a variation of Reign Storm… I'll try to change up the story more though, to make it both more entertaining and more plausible. Thanks for R &Ring and enjoy this chap too! :D  
**

 **To** **memmek10k** **: Thank you! I try, lol. I hope you like this chapter too and thanks for reviewing! :)  
**

 **To 4-thish: Haha, I didn't realize I wrote that fast! xDD Thanks for reading it, and liking it so much! I hope you like this chapter also! :)**

 **To** **Lisa (Guest)** **: Thank you so much! Thanks for reading and reviewing, it means a lot to me! I hope you like this chapter too! :)  
**

 **To** **Commander M (Guest)** **: True, I had that going on in the first chapter, but not really again since. I added it this chapter, and I'll try to make him a bigger enemy in the future. And yes, older Danny would have had ice and his Ghostly Wail too, but I didn't add them. If I did, then I guess Vlad could have had an idea of what powers his Danny would get in the future. Oh well… I don't plan to re-do or change that, from last chapter. xD Thanks for reviewing and I hope you like this chapter! :)  
**

 **To** **little miss BANANNA HEAD** **: Lol awesome name! xDDD And thanks so much for reviewing! I hope you like this chapter too!**

 **To** **Shadowed sword** **: About Danielle: I'll try to bring her in soon! Kindred Spirits is coming up in a few chapters, after Reign Storm and The Ultimate Enemy. I already have a general idea of what I'll do… And about Danny being her father, I never was too crazy about that idea, but I'll see what I can do. I was planning on making Vlad more her father, but I can add in some fatherly Danny stuff too. Thanks for reading and reviewing, and hope you like this chapter despite no Dani yet! :)  
**

 **Thanks to** **ShadowHazard16** **(sorry for not mentioning you before),** **Mistress1296** **,** **Son of Zeus0001** **,** **LizReader1125** **,** **blueorgrey1236** **,** **Senamence** **,** **aryaneragon4ever** **,** **Minaly22** **,** **GryffindorPosidens** **,** **reader1011** **, and** **jsoccer17** **for following and/or favoriting this story since the last chapter! :D**

 **Special thanks to** **LizReader1125** **,** **aryaneragon4ever** **,** **Phantasmagory** **, and** **Rocky Rooster** **for faving/following me as an author! What is that now, like 9? Wow! Thanks so much guys! :D**

 **Sorry if I mentioned you twice, or didn't mention you at all… For some reason I don't get alerts for everyone. I just went to the list of people that have favorited and followed, and there were a few I didn't remember seeing before. Then again, it could be the fact that I've tried to commit 50+ names to memory… xD Oh well. I'll check back there every chapter to mention any name I don't recognize.**

 **Anyway, here's the chapter! It's a little shorter than the others, and less action… And also a new (sort of revised) character… You'll see once you read!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from the show Danny Phantom, but I do own the plot and my edited version of Maddie the cat (spoiler!)**

* * *

 **Glimmering Guardian**

 _A few days before:_

A wind-up, pink toy mouse slowly scooted along the sidewalk with little clicking noises. A cat leapt daintily from the windowsill of a nearby house to the ground. Curious yellow eyes watched the mouse, and the white-furred feline crept toward the toy, her tail swishing in the grass.

The mouse tumbled down the nearby curb onto the road, and miraculously stayed upright. It teetered across the pavement, and eventually came to a stop in the middle.

The cat, who was only a little bit bigger than a kitten, pounced across the road to her toy, eager to finally catch it. She was only a foot away when a loud rumbling noise made her fur stand on end. A bright light blinded her, causing her to screech in surprise.

Before she could move, a car had hit her small, thin body, and her vision faded to black before she had landed on the cement.

* * *

 _Back to the present:_

Danny frowned and scrutinized the paper in his hands, "Umm, so where are we again?"

"North of my portal, most likely up around here," Vlad answered, pointing to the top of the paper.

Danny peered into the distance, squinting at the swirling green landscape. "I _think_ I'm going to need a bigger map..."

"It'd be impossible to map out the entire Ghost Zone, anyway." The older halfa said. "It's infinite and constantly expanding, according to the Ghost Writer's books. The locations on that map are only in one region, of hundreds, even thousands."

"Wow... That must be a _lot_ of ghosts..."

"There was even a ghost King, who ruled hundreds of years ago, before you and I existed. Pariah Dark. He ruled the entire Ghost Zone, with the Ring of Rage and Crown of Fire, which gave him almost unlimited power… until about a century ago, when he started mishandling his power. A long, hard battle was fought between the most ancient and powerful ghosts and Pariah. Eventually, they managed to lock him up in the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep, which is where he remains today. A ghost with his amount of power is just too powerful for even the _Ancients_ to permanently get rid of."

"Who're the Ancients?" Danny asked curiously, settling down in the air to hear the story.

"A group of six, well, _ancient_ ghosts that have existed since the beginning of time. They're basically gods, immortal and all-knowing. Or, at least that's what I read, years ago at the Ghost's Writer's lair. Each of them has a different element they represent, for example, one is the Ghost of Time, one the Ghost of Dimensions, the Ghost of Life, Ghost of Death, the Ghost of Wisdom, and the Ghost of Energy. I've never met any of them, though. I suppose it's the highest honor to meet one in person."

"Wow... So they know about us, being half-ghosts?"

"I'm sure they do. But they've known for more than 20 years, possibly longer, that I've existed. Nothing's happened yet."

"I wonder if we'll ever meet them..."

" _Dream on_ , Little Badger." Vlad chuckled. "But it could happen, I suppose."

"In my opinion, _anything_ could happen. That's been a true statement in my life so far."

"I can certainly relate..."

* * *

The two had flown further into the ghost zone, the younger ghost marking the places they found on his map. He had continued on the back once he had run out of room.

They were currently in the middle of a strange, ghastly forest full of black and green trees, as well as a goopy, bubbling orange river flowing through the middle. They had also encountered several strange ghost animals of varying colors, such as a three-headed bird and what had looked like a cross between a monkey and a spider.

Danny would have nightmares about the spidkey for the rest of his life. _That_ was certain.

"Now, the hard part is finding our way back..." The younger halfa laughed nervously.

"Just follow the map in reverse..." Vlad said smartly, taking the map. "Alright, we're _here_..." He pointed to the forest written and doodled on the map. "And we need to go back the way we came, which is south on the map... _Soo_ , I think we go that way." He pointed down the river they had been following.

The started going downriver, and emerged from the dense trees, back into the swirling green atmosphere of most of the Ghost Zone. Vlad smiled smugly, causing the boy next to him to stick out his tongue childishly.

A yellowed paper flew down into Danny's face, blinding him for a moment. He grabbed the paper and held it out; it had a black, dotted line that curved across from the bottom right corner, to the top left, with a red X at the end.

"Whoa... Is this a _treasure map_?!" Danny asked curiously. "How cool is _that_?"

"The question is, why was it here, in a jungle in the middle of the Ghost Zone?" Vlad muttered. "Seems a little strange to me..."

"What are the chances it actually leads to buried treasure?"

"I'd say, 20 percent or less."

"Eh, I've had worse odds." Danny grinned. "Let's go!" He flew back into the trees, the older ghost rushing after him, rolling his eyes at his student's excitement.

* * *

Danny whisked through the trees, his ghostly tail stretching out behind him.

"Shouldn't be too much farther..." He muttered, slowing down a little and looking ahead. He saw a clearing, lined with purple grasses and the same orange river.

" _Wait_!" Vlad grabbed the boy's shoulder, panting from the humidity and heat in the jungle. "I have a bad feeling about this."

The two halted behind the bush, looking into the open space in front of them. Simultaneous ghost senses went off, and the two met eyes nervously.

Danny dropped the map. "Alright, forget about the treasure, let's get outta here!" He whispered. Vlad nodded and they turned around to see Skulker grinning down at them.

" _Boo._ "

A dozen rockets shot forward, forcing the two halfas into the clearing. Vlad looked up and saw a cage hanging above them.

" _Look out!_ " He shouted, propelling him and Danny out of the cage's path.

Unfortunately, a second cage dropped down, surrounding them in glowing metal bars. The first cage had been a trick.

Skulker flew after them, grinning smugly. "My finest catch, both of the only two half-ghosts in existence! And all I had to do was watch as you wandered here yourselves, and fell for the _buried treasure_!"

"You _are_ the _Ghost Zone's greatest hunter_ , _that's_ for sure..." Danny muttered sarcastically, stepping closer to the other half-ghost beside him.

"Let us go, Skulker..." Vlad growled, his hands lighting up with electricity. "Or you'll regret it!"

"I'm afraid you're not in a position to make threats right now, _Plasmius_." Skulker said in mock disappointment. "So, your tough-guy act isn't going to work this time. Such a shame, isn't it?"

Danny ignored the hunter and reached out to the bars of the cage, flinching when he got shocked. "Why is it _always_ electricity?" He muttered in annoyance, shuddering at the cold chills he felt.

"Yes, my new upgrade. Apparently electric shocks work great to effectively trap prey, especially _you_ , ghost kid." He smirked at the glares of the two halfas. "Now stay right there while I go get your tranquilizers. That cage is immobile, after all." He chuckled and flew back into the trees.

Danny rolled his eyes. " _Great_. Now what?"

Vlad frowned. "If I had enough time, I could absorb the energy from the cage and use it to melt the bars. However, I doubt Skulker will be gone for long enough."

"Couldn't we just phase into the ground and go under it?"

One failed escape attempt later, and Vlad's hair was crackling and sticking up even more with electricity. " _Nope_. The force field extends under."

They heard rustling from the bushes in front of them. Vlad stepped in front of the younger ghost, bracing himself to protect him from Skulker, at all costs.

" _Mrow_."

The ghosts looked in surprise as a white animal came bounding out of the bush.

"... Is that a _cat_?" The ghost boy questioned in shock, looking out from behind Vlad.

Just then, Skulker rocketed back into the open space, holding a trinket of some sort. The white cat glared and leapt toward him with a loud hiss. In midair, her claws grew to several times their original size and glowed yellow. Golden eyes glowed so brightly, they appeared almost white. White ears flattened down to either side of the cat's furry head, and the white tail grew several sharp grey spikes near the tip.

Skulker screamed as the feline landed on his face, and the two fell onto the grassy ground in a grey and yellow blur.

Vlad and Danny stared from their cage. After a moment, they smiled and chuckled at Skulker's expense.

Finally, the white animal dropped back onto the grass, flicking her white ears in contentment. Skulker's suit was scratched beyond repair, and his green flames had sputtered out. He was laying on the ground looking quite startled and in pain.

" _Here kitty kitty_ ," Vlad called. "Come and attack this cage too!"

Danny scoffed. "Like _that's_ gonna work..." But the cat did stalk to the cage and slice open one side.

The two half-ghosts climbed out of the broken cage, as the cat's claws retracted back to normal and her tail shrunk and lost its spikes. She looked up at the two male ghosts intelligently with bright, curious yellow eyes.

Now that they got a closer look, they could see that she glowed white, similar to Danny's snow-white hair. She was partly transparent too, which proved she was indeed a ghost. She also had grey paws and a black and yellow collar.

"Um... Thank you, cat!" Danny said, kneeling down. "We would have been doomed without you." The cat purred, as if to say " _I know that, and you're welcome!_ "

Vlad flew over to the hunter, and unleashed his built up energy, rendering the other ghost even more beat up, before sucking him into a thermos.

"Well... Let's never come back _here_ again." Danny said, shuddering at their close call.

"Agreed."

The two started to fly up above the trees, but just then Vlad felt a tug on his cape and a ripping sound.

" _Mrow_!"

"Uh, Vlad?" Danny snickered. "The cat's stuck on your cape."

"What?!" He spun in a circle, which only swung the weight around so he still couldn't see.

With an agitated hiss, the cat leapt up and dug her claws in Vlad's black, spiked up hair. Danny burst into laughter at the older man's startled expression.

The man glared sourly, and reached up to his head to get the cat off.

He lifted the cat up and brought it out in front of him. She mewed and blinked innocently at the vampire-like ghost holding her.

"I think she likes you, Fruitloop." Danny said breathlessly, grinning at the scowling man in front of him.

"Crazy cat..." Vlad muttered bitterly before frowning in surprise as the cat purred and snuggled up against his chest.

"See, what'd I tell you?"

"Shut up Daniel."

The two looked down at the white ghost cat, who seemed to smile as she rubbed lovingly against Vlad's grey suit.

"Alright, kitty kitty, time for you to go home..." Vlad tried to dump the cat down onto a tree. The cat clung to his sleeves and refused to let go, despite the exaggerated shaking motion. Vlad scoffed in annoyance, and Danny giggled.

"Come on, you can't just leave her here. She obviously adores you!"

"Well I don't _want_ or _need_ a cat!"

"Aw come on Vlad, that's like the coolest cat in the _world_! Did you see what it did to Skulker?"

"That's the problem…" Vlad muttered. "What if it turns against me all of the sudden, and scratches me to death?!"

"Well you are already halfway there. It wouldn't be too hard for her to finish the job..." Danny grinned at Vlad's deadpan expression. "Then again, you're _Vlad Plasmius_. I doubt a cat could be what kills you the rest of the way."

Vlad sighed in defeat. " _Fine_..."

Danny grinned. "Yay, now I can make even more jokes about you having a cat!"

The older halfa cut his student off with a sharp glare and gently turned the cat over to read her collar. "Oh, her name is Eleanor."

The cat looked up and meowed when she heard her name, flicking her white ears and blinking innocently.

"Eleanor and Cujo..." Danny muttered. "I wonder if they'll get along."

Vlad figured he'd have his hands full with that cat, for a long time to come.

* * *

 **Poll:** **Do you consider Vlad Plasmius's skin in ghost form, _green_ or _blue_? Comment your answer! We may have a new white/gold or black/blue dress!**

 **Hope you liked the chapter! My art of Eleanor is on my DA page,** **PhantomS14** **. Not like I've said that like three times now lol... okay I won't advertise it again… xDDD  
**

 **Reign Storm should come next, so look out for it! Review please! :) :)  
**


	9. AUTHOR'S NOTE: Not a chapter

**A/N:**

 **...Aahhhhhh... I'm so sorry there have been no updates... The only explanation I can give is that life just got in the way. Hard classes in school, Christmas, wisdom teeth surgery, there has just been so much going on. Also fanfiction isn't my highest priority, I'm the kind of person who only can write well when inspired. And I've ran into a huge case of writer's block lately, at least for this story.**

 **I'm probably 1/4 done with this chapter, mostly because there's so much to write with Reign Storm. I have a lot planned but I just can't get motivated to write it. But every time I checked my email I saw new favorite and follow alerts. I haven't forgotten about it, believe me. I WILL finish this chapter at some point!**

 **Anyway, happy New Year to all of you! My self-appointed deadline for posting this chapter is February 1st, so hopefully I can pull myself together by then. xD Thanks to all who reviewed on the last chapter! I'll recognize you with the next update, as well as those who followed/faved.**

 **Sorry again for not having a chapter. Hope to see ya in about a month with the awesome rewrite of Reign Storm! :)**

 **-Specter14**


	10. Storm Clout

**Whew, welcome to the long awaited chapter! Took only 8 months to write, since I began it in August of last year! Words cannot express how happy I am to have finished this. It's almost 8,000 words too, which makes it the longest in this whole story so far…**

 **Thanks to those who Favorited and Followed this story from chapter 7 to now: fantasyconnect, devilhuntermistress, ChildOfNight6822, bibliophile030, Kimera20, Shadtastic, WinterRose47, Cute7Crasher, Asuka Sakura-chan, Sonozaki Mion, kylo ren knights of ren, Moonstone1000, moonythesecond, CalypsoTheL0ver, angierocks, WeatherKitten, kayadelphine, Soulless-Phantom14, AyaEmett, Luziefers nightmare, Fyrusfairy, NuggetMuncher, KsfanKs, Jacobfrit, EchoNel, Strong Like Donkey Kong, Armorheart, Commander M2, Bloody Moon Mist, alex1893, RedHeadsRock1010, Maximus Potter, SandyLS, Swordsman Glow, InuKag09, Nathy2000, riderpurple, vampireharry the 2, nightfright2, HavocOrder0999, Good Idea, rachelapril1006, Ryu Hizume, angelvan105, BloodRequiem1, Neverland's Kitsune X, Yozora no Hono, Dutoc, geassgurl, KhivaCross, Master-Juan-X, AspiringAuthor236, 66, gwencarson126, cryptologicalMystic, PhantomFentonFan, 2000girl, ahussein, Poptartian, jeanette9a, and Serlenia.**

 **I APOLOGIZE IF I FORGOT ANYONE THAT WAS SERIOUSLY A LOT OF PEOPLE!**

 **Special thanks to those who faved/followed me as an author: Sonozaki Mion, Moonstone1000, NOT Markiplier, WeatherKitten, PrennCooder, gwencarson126, Nathy2000, nightfright2, KakkoiiBaka, WeeoBip, Music luvz me, thewildeside, and DannyPhantomFanGirl1. Thanks so much! Considering I started out with 0 at chapter 1 of this story, this is amazing! :D**

 **Lastly, thanks to those who left reviews : Invader Johnny, Mistress1296, hichilove25, 4-thish, AersomeAuthor13, Sockenmonster01, Wolfeather101, DannyPhantomPhandom, Brenne, jack sparrow (guest), shadow ninja (guest), Commander M2, memmek10k, The Trainer Grimm, Kimera20, jacobfrit, Sonozaki Mion, Guest, LuthienOronar, Lobisomen616, magicornis1, and angelvan105. I really wanted to be able to reply to every review I got, but they just got to be too much… Now I see why authors of huge, popular fics on here don't do that… There are just so many! Plus most of you probably don't even remember what you had said/asked, if it was from last August, or even a month or two ago. I will answer reviews for this chapter though, because I anticipate being finished much quicker with TUE, coming up next!**

* * *

 **Also, here are the Poll Results from chapter 7: What is Vlad Plasmius's skin color?**

 **Blue: 7**

 **Blue-green: 1**

 **Green: 3 (including me)**

 **Started as Green-blue but changed to light blue: 1**

 **In hindsight, I kind of consider it greenish-blue, not full on green. But at least I wasn't the only one who thought green! I guess it depends on perspective, and now that I think about it Vlad's appearance did change a bit throughout the series, if only slightly.**

 **Thanks to those who cast a vote, it was cool to see what people thought about it!**

* * *

 **Without further ado, welcome to Storm Clout!**

 **Clout: influence or power, especially in politics or business.**

 **Disclaimer : I do not own anything except the differences in storyline to the original Danny Phantom episode Reign Storm.**

* * *

 **Storm Clout**

Pink energy whizzed past the younger ghost's ear, forcing him to dodge to the left. Radioactive green shots fired back at the assailant, but none met their mark. To an onlooker, it would have appeared that the two ghosts were evenly matched.

"Looks like someone's getting a little out of practice."

"Oh I'm going easy on you, Little Badger!" A pink lazer the size of a quarter hit the other ghost's forehead.

"Ow, hey!" Danny responded, glaring at the other half-ghost in annoyance. "If that had hit an inch to the side, I'd be known as One-Eyed Inviso-Bill!"

"Just getting back into practice." Vlad explained cheekily, sending three more lightning-quick blasts. The ghost boy stretched his body around to dodge them, then disappeared into the floor. A moment later he flew back up directly in front of Vlad, knocking him off balance with a energy-infused punch.

Danny laughed at the man's annoyed expression, floating back a few feet.

"Oh, you're getting it now Daniel..." Four duplicates formed beside of Vlad, which made five copies in a row. The ghost boy formed his usual two duplicates, and the three Phantoms clenched their fists and prepared to fight.

The two opposing groups rushed at each other, the zap of blasts and the whooshing of Vlad's five capes filling the air. One by one, the duplicates began to pop out of existence, until only the two original ghosts remained.

Distracted by the strange feeling of his duplicates disappearing, Danny was knocked to the ground by a weak pink ghost ray.

"Good effort, that went on longer than last week." Vlad said, holding a gloved hand out to the defeated boy.

"One of these days, I'm gonna beat you Fruitloop..." He muttered with mock anger and let the man pull him up.

"I know. It's only a matter of time before you'll be experienced enough." The black-haired ghost said. "Even if you aren't quite there yet, you should feel proud of yourself. You've improved so much-"

"Yeah, yeah, enough with the sappy stuff." Danny chuckled. The two floated through the wall and emerged into the lab. Only a few months before, Vlad's mansion had been destroyed because of an unchanged Ecto-filter. Luckily the new one has been constructed very quickly, and was close to identical. Unfortunately Vlad did lose his Packers merchandise and other important things in his house, but at least no one had gotten hurt, and most lost items could be replaced.

The newly-built portal gleamed in the dim light, and the mysterious green swirls of the Ghost Zone casted eerie light on the walls. The white glow of the two ghosts lit up the room even more, until Vlad switched on the overhead lights.

The two halfas entered the green dimension together. The environment seemed to buzz with fear and power, more so than usual.

The older half-ghost frowned and squinted into the distance. "Something doesn't feel right... Do you feel it too?"

Danny nodded a little, shivering and backing up a few feet. "I don't know what it is but I don't like it..."

"Come on, I can teleport you home today." They returned into the lab, and Vlad closed and locked the portal. "I don't want you going back in there alone until we know what's going on, alright?"

"Fine, _mom_..." The boy muttered, rolling his eyes. "But I can take care of myself."

"I'm sure you can, most of the time, but not against whatever that was." Vlad said curtly before grabbing Phantom's hand and disappearing in a swirl of pink gas.

* * *

Deep in the Ghost Zone, an old, broken down castle was still and silent. It was known to most as Pariah's Keep.

An ecto-bird flapped lazily past the ruins, but was startled away with a frightened squawk when a bright light shone out the windows of the dark castle. The floating island beneath it shuddered from the raw power radiating from the building.

Granules of dust rose and pebbles hopped on the large purple rock.

The source of the disruption was the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep. Glowing cracks split the container, shooting rays of white light onto the cracked walls. Another wave of overwhelming power made the castle shake once more, and the Sarcophagus broke open similarly to a bird's egg. It barely remained in one piece as a large, powerful figure pushed its way out, glowing a fierce white light.

When the light died down, a large, strongly glowing figure was left, an insidious and insanely gleeful look on his face.

"It's been so long..." He cackled, floating forward and thinking of only revenge on those who had locked him up in the first place. The six ancients would be no match for him, once he regained his control over all ghosts of the Ghost Zone!

He quickly released the Fright Knight and set his master plans into motion, the same plans he had been meticulously creating for the past few hundred years, locked up in the Sarcophagus.

However, there were a few things he didn't account for, two anomalies belonging to a more present time...

* * *

Danny Phantom gasped and stumbled as they appeared in an alley not too far from FentonWorks. He was definitely not used to the strange feeling of teleporting, despite the fact that he had done it several times before with Vlad.

"I'm not sure if I'll ever get used to that..." The boy muttered, causing the older man to smirk in amusement. The two transformed simultaneously before walking down the street to Danny's house. The large, light up sign and array of ghost weapons on top made the house stand out drastically from the other buildings.

Once they had reached the doorstep, the doorbell was rung, and within seconds the door was opened by none other than Maddie Fenton. Surprise flashed across her face, soon followed by excitement.

"Vlad Masters! What brings you to Amity Park?" She asked, before pulling the door open wider. "Never mind that, come on in and make yourself at home! Did Danny give you a nice welcome?"

"Of course Madeline," Vlad shot an amused look toward the teenage boy beside him. "I thought I'd pay a visit to you and... _Jack_..." He trailed off before entering the house, Danny close behind.

"Jack! Vlad is-"

"VLADDIE!" A loud yell sounded through the house, and Jack noisily galloped up the stairs from the lab. Before the billionaire could even move, he was enveloped in a huge bear hug.

His face turned white in both annoyance and lack of air. "Can't-" he gasped "-breathe... Jack-"

"Jack dear, let poor Vlad go!" Maddie scolded, and her husband dropped his old friend onto the floor.

"Sorry V-Man! It's been so long since I've seen you last!" Jack roared in excitement.

"Yes, yes, it has been quite a while..." Vlad muttered, brushing off his black suit. " _But not long enough_..." He mumbled to himself, too quiet for anyone except Danny to hear.

"Well, I'm gonna go do homework." Danny said, wanting to escape an awkward attempt at conversation, and walked towards the stairs.

"All right, sweetie. Dinner's in an hour. And once you're finished with your work, why don't you come down and spend some time with Uncle Vlad?" Maddie suggested.

"Sure." The teen called down, hiding a laugh at what his mother didn't know.

Once he was gone, his mother sighed. "I'm sorry about him, Vlad. Sometimes I don't know what to do. He seems so antisocial and closed off lately..."

"I'm sure he's just going through a phase..." Vlad offered, hiding a chuckle of his own. "Just like all teenagers do. Anyway..." He braced himself for the new conversation. "What have you and _Jack_ been working on lately?"

* * *

"Fenton!" An angry shout sounded through the hall, and Danny almost tripped running around a nearby corner. Several students stared as he rushed by with the star quarterback seconds behind.

It was the next day, and school had just ended at Casper High. Unfortunately, it was currently time for Danny's daily beating from Dash.

Danny panted as he reached the cafeteria, and his wide blue eyes searched for a hiding spot.

Only seconds later, Dash raced into the room, with his face red from the chase. "Fenton!" He glared around the room and left in a huff when the boy was nowhere to be seen.

Danny opened his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief from under the lunch table. Two sets of legs were on either side of him... as well as an annoyed Valerie.

"Find your own hiding spot!" Danny muttered, "I've got dibs under the nerds playing nerd-poker."

"Ease up, Fenton." Valerie rolled her eyes, "You're not the only one who needs to hide, you know."

"Valerie!" Yelled a desperate boy named Nathan, as he ran up beside the table. "Where are you? It's only three years until senior Prom! _Why won't you say yes?!_ "

Danny looked over at Valerie, a small smile on his face. "Three years? We could be here awhile..."

"Wanna check over our book reports?" Valerie asked, returning the smile.

Ever since Valerie's suit was taken away, the girl hadn't ever been a problem anymore for the two half-ghosts. And once Danny realized how smart and cool she actually was (to his human side, at least) they had become friends of sorts.

Of course, Danny's best friends, Sam and Tucker, had concerns about it, and to an extent Danny did, too. What would the girl do if she found out he was the ghost who had "ruined her life"?

* * *

"So what could be up with the Ghost Zone?" Tucker asked the two other teenagers curiously. They looked both ways and crossed the street before continuing the conversation.

"No idea. And Vlad doesn't even know, so it must be something pretty weird." Danny replied uneasily.

"I'll say. You'd better keep the portal securely locked until you figure it out," Sam recommended, and the two boys nodded. Danny had already told his friends all about the events of the previous day, and Vlad's concern about the Ghost Zone.

By that time, they had approached the door of FentonWorks.

"You guys up for some Doomed?" Tuck questioned with a grin, "After my after-school snack of course."

"I'm pretty sure your definition of 'snack' isn't the same as everyone else's." Sam teased, thinking of Tucker's meat feasts that he had every day.

The door opened to reveal Jack, Maddie, Vlad and Jazz in the living room. The two men were in the middle of a game of chess, which was typical of Vlad to play often. Jazz was lounged on the couch reading a book and Maddie held a tea kettle.

"Hello, Danny, Sam, Tucker. How was school?" Maddie greeted with a smile.

"It was fine, thanks for asking Mrs. Fenton." Sam replied.

All of the sudden, red lights flashed, and a beeping alarm sounded through the house. Maddie and Jack immediately raced over to the wall and opened up the radar system.

"Galloping goblets... It's the Ecto-Exodus alarm!" Jack bellowed in shock.

"The Ecto-whaty-what?" Repeated everyone else in the room in confusion.

"The Ecto-Exodus alarm... The alarm that goes off when we're about to face a massive ghost invasion!" Maddie explained, causing the others in the room to look at each other worriedly.

Danny shot a look at Vlad before whispering, "Stall them!" to Sam, and he raced away.

The raven-haired boy transformed into his ghost form, once he was out of sight, and then he shot through the floor into the lab. The portal was in its normal state, with green swirls of light and ectoplasm. The boy held his breath as he waited for the supposed "ghost invasion" that was coming.

With a flash of light, a familiar figure emerged from the portal. "Beware!"

Danny stared for a second before bursting into laughter, "Just you? Oh man, what was I worried about?"

Then to his surprise, several faces formed around the Box Ghost, and multiple powerful ghosts came into the lab.

"Go, go!" Skulker yelled once he had emerged, and dozens of ghost streamed out around him. Danny gaped at the sight; this was more ghosts than he had seen at once ever before!

All of the sudden, a force crashed into him and pinned him to the floor. The boy blinked up to see a metal boot holding him down and the sneer of the Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter.

Ghosts continued to zip out of the portal by the dozens, shooting up through the ground and filling the sky. Danny laid in shock under Skulker's boot before grabbing the hunter's leg and flying up through the ceiling intangibly, with the metal ghost in tow.

Vlad, who had seen the commotion, shot up behind, his red and grey cape flapping out behind him, and the two halfas floated in front of dozens of ghosts, crowded in the sky above Amity Park.

"What is going on here?" Plasmius questioned sternly.

"And what are you all running from?" The younger half-ghost added.

"His name is Pariah Dark, the King of all ghosts." Ember explained darkly.

Shocked, Danny looked at the man beside him. "I think you mentioned him before... But I thought he was securely locked up by the Ancients!"

"Not anymore, apparently..." Vlad answered, his red eyes wide at the new dilemma. "First and foremost, does he have the Crown and the Ring?"

Walker stepped forward with a glare, showing a translucent container with a glinting ring inside. "I've had the Ring of Rage secured in my prison for years."

"And I have the crown, right here..." The Ghost Writer said, also holding up a box.

Back when Pariah had just been forced away, the Ancients had gathered the two items that granted almost unlimited power, and given them to (at least somewhat) trustworthy ghosts for safekeeping. That way, the two items weren't together or close to the King, should he escape. The powerful six could have kept the items themselves, but they preferred to let the ghosts have control over their fates without too much interaction. It was up to the citizens of the Ghost Zone to guard the powerful artifacts, which made sure that the crown and ring were within reach if ever needed.

Seeing the two items up close scared most of the ghosts, at least the ones that had been alive to witness the Kings terrible reign. Even without them, Pariah was one of the strongest ghosts to exist (besides the Ancients). And he would stop at nothing to acquire the two items to increase his power hundred-fold.

"Alright, alright... We need a plan..." Vlad muttered, "How about-"

"Who put you in charge?!" Skulker snapped, "You're not even a real ghost!"

"But he's one of the most able here!" An unknown ghost shouted, causing more ghosts to protest.

"What do you mean, I should be in charge! I was trusted by the Ancients to watch over the Ring-"

"But-"

"Hey!" Danny yelled, stopping the commotion. "If we just float around and argue about it, there's no point in trying!"

"What do you know, you've only even known about the Ghost Zone for a few months!"

"Would you please stop it?!" Vlad growled. "It's only the matter of time before the King finds the portal and shows up here! And we need to be ready! With all of us combined, and the ring and crown under our supervision... we may have a chance!"

* * *

"Your armies are amassed?"

The ghostly warriors saluted.

"Then on my orders-"

"On _my_ orders..." Pariah interrupted, causing the Fright Knight to shrink back. "Go to that world! Bring the Ring and Crown to me! And to those who stand in your way... _Show no mercy_..."

The warriors and Knight bowed down to their King, before running off to send the armies into battle.

* * *

The sentient ghosts huddled around inside a dark, empty room in an abandoned warehouse. A fire flickered in a cracked fireplace, which sent faint orange light across the room.

The older half-ghost floated in front of a rotting wooden table, grimly studying a hand-drawn map of Amity Park. A truce had been made between all of the ghosts and half-ghosts, to defeat the greater enemy.

"He'll likely send an army soon." Skulker informed, with a glaring look at the two halfas. "He has a knack for overwhelming with sheer numbers of troops, even if they _are_ mindless skeletons."

"The most important thing is to get the Ring and Crown as far away from here as possible." The Ghost Writer said, a nervous stutter tainting his voice. "We wouldn't have a chance at all if he gets them back!"

Vlad Plasmius, who hovered in front of the map, stroked his beard. "We have to be ready to defend ourselves against the army, Fright Knight and Pariah himself..." The ghosts frowned at that. It was a rag-tag group of Amity's most common ghosts against a huge army, Knight and powerful King. The odds weren't great, even if the King _was_ at a disadvantage.

All of the sudden, a car alarm blared from outside the warehouse, and several screams followed.

"The skeletons are here." Ember commented dryly. "We don't have much time, in case you losers didn't know already."

"Well, we have to hurry!" Danny said with a determined look. "There are people in danger out there."

Skulker sneered, "Forget about the measly humans! We need to focus on protecting our own, and defeating the one being that could take over both of our worlds if he pleased!"

Vlad looked at Danny and dipped his head. "Go ahead and help people get to FentonWorks, and be back soon. Hopefully we'll have a solid plan by then."

The ghost boy smiled at his mentor and flew through the wall.

Skulker glared at the man in annoyance. "That wasn't necessary. The humans deserve this for blatantly hating our kind."

"You know what happens when a ghost doesn't give in to his obsession." Vlad responded curtly. The other ghosts in the room tensed and looked away. It was commonly known (to ghosts, at least) that if an obsession was ignored or lost for a long amount of time, the ghost would slowly be driven insane and then disappear completely, which was equivalent of dying for ectoplasmic beings.

Of course, the chances of that happening to a halfa at all were low, but Vlad didn't want to risk it. There was no harm in letting the boy do his thing if it kept him happy, and they didn't need him immediately anyway.

After a minute or two of silence, Vlad spoke up. "Back to the plan... I think our best bet would be to send two off in different directions with the Crown of Fire and Ring of Rage, and the rest stay to fight, and hopefully destroy, the King."

"We would need two who are fast and cunning to take the artifacts." Walker voiced with a frown.

"And ghosts who aren't absolutely needed for our victory against the bullies," Poindexter added tentatively.

"I may know of one," Vlad muttered, "though I'm not sure if she would side with us, even if we're the enemies of ghosts far worse."

"What do you mean?" Ember asked and crossed her arms, "You make it sound like she isn't a ghost!"

"That's because she isn't." Vlad answered truthfully, "but we may need her help to be successful. It is a long shot, but this is a true emergency, and I can't think of anyone more suited for the job."

* * *

Danny shot up into the air, and stared down at the giant army of green skeleton ghosts terrorizing the city. He immediately made two duplicates and told them to fight off the skeletons, and he himself flew full speed towards his house.

He sighed in relief when he saw that his parents had already put up the shield and sent out an announcement for people to escape to safety under the ghost shield. Crowds of Amity Park's citizens raced towards the green dome and went right through it into the safety of FentonWorks. Danny watched from above as the people were greeted by Maddie and Jazz out in the yard.

"Thank goodness my parents do the right thing when it's important," the ghost boy said to himself and began the trip back to the warehouse.

* * *

Valerie swiftly jumped out of her bedroom window and landed in a crouch behind a bush. Through the leaves, she could see glowing green skeletons marching around, flipping cars and breaking down doors.

The huntress grabbed a ghost gun from her belt and took aim. These ghosts were terrorizing her city, and if she didn't do anything about it, her dad could be harmed, as well as the rest of Amity Park.

Ever since her suit had been taken by Mr. Masters, Valerie had kept up ghost hunting despite his warning, which proved to be a much harder task without a metal suit to protect her and a hover-board for fast transportation. Luckily, her karate training from years before came in handy, and it allowed her to fight ghosts almost as effectively.

She did make an effort to steer clear of the Ghost Boy, though, because the last thing she wanted was to anger Vlad Masters again. She got a bad feeling around that man; there was something about him that just wasn't normal... Like the way he seemed to know more than he should, and his closed-off tone and body language. Also, the fact that he sided with Phantom spoke for itself. That ghost was nothing but trouble.

Valerie steeled her gaze and sent multiple shots towards the nearest skeletons. They dissipated into green light, but the action caught the attention of other ghosts. Valerie shot as many as she could from behind the bush before jumping out and knocking one over with a powerful kick.

The girl smirked to herself as the last ghost was defeated. She didn't need a stupid suit to be a ghost hunter!

She stole one last look at her apartment and took off running towards the city. It was her duty to keep Amity free of ghosts, and she wouldn't back down: not now, and not ever.

* * *

"Valerie!" Vlad whispered from an alley, when he saw the girl run by. A minute or two before, he had flown up invisibly and seen her traveling towards the city. Currently they were close to Casper High.

"Mr. Masters?" The girl questioned in surprise, turning around and seeing the man.

Vlad pulled a bundle out of his suit, and showed it to the girl, who watched with wide teal eyes.

"It's an emergency." The man said with a small smirk. Two ghosts turned visible behind him: one was Danny Phantom and the other was Vlad Plasmius (that was a duplicate, of course).

Valerie clenched her fists once she saw the ghosts, but nodded tentatively to signal her agreement. Vlad tossed the suit, and the teenage girl caught it. In a fluid motion, the red metal suit formed around her, complete with the hover board.

The four returned to the warehouse and went over the plan again, this time communicating it to Danny and Valerie.

"Valerie and Johnny, you two will each take one artifact and take it in different directions. It doesn't matter where exactly as long as they are taken quickly." Vlad explained to the two with fast modes of transportation.

Walker piped in for the next part of the plan, "The rest of us will be part of the fighting team, either to fight the skeleton warriors, the Fright Knight, or Pariah himself."

"Leave Pariah to Danny and I," Vlad said with a confident smirk, bumping fists with the younger halfa beside him. "When he comes, of course. Until then we will fight wherever we're needed."

"That leaves the skeletons and Knight to the rest of us." The Ghost Writer stated. "Who should fight who?"

"The Fright Knight would be a better fighter overall, but he doesn't have the advantage of large numbers." Walker stated. "My prison guards and I will fight the skeletons."

"Dora and I will join you." Poindexter said from the dragon's back.

"I will join too and be your friend!" Klemper said excitedly, clapping his hands and making the other ghosts groan.

"That leaves Kitty, Ember, and Spectra to worry about the Fright Knight. You girls okay with that?" The Ghost Writer asked.

"Sure!" Kitty said with a smile.

"Us girls'll deal with him all right!" Spectra grinned, cracking her knuckles.

"I will also join you for the hunt," Skulker added, causing Ember to smile gratefully at him.

Vlad nodded to the group, "I believe that accounts for everyone. Does everyone know the plan?"

He was met with the affirmative, and the plan was in motion.

* * *

Valerie slipped the skull ring onto her finger and prepared to fly away. The biker ghost, called Johnny, did the same beside her with the green crown.

"You ready?" He grinned and revved his motorcycle's engine.

"As ready as I'll ever be..." Valerie replied, still not believing she was siding with ghosts.

Once they heard the code word, they were off. As Valerie flew by, skeletons approached her from either side, but luckily she could fly right above them.

Her proud grin was wiped away when she unexpectedly crashed into a figure clad in black armor, who grabbed her arm tightly.

So much for the plan. The Fright Knight had not been expected to show up near the outskirts of the city...

"You have something that belongs to the King." He growled upon seeing the ring on her finger. She glared and reached behind her suit to get a ghost gun, when all of the sudden her captor was knocked to the side by a green blast.

She began to fall, but just in time her hoverboard caught her. She yelled with delight at having her suit back, and zoomed back to the fighting ghosts to assist her rescuer.

And, of course, it was the ghost boy.

She and the white-haired ghost alternated shots at the knight, but all they seemed to be doing was angering him even more.

Right when the Knight began to get the upper hand, a pink laser forced him back onto the ground. The ghost known as Plasmius flew down from the sky and glared at the black-armored ghost.

"Fools!" The Knight yelled as he floated up off the ground, holding up his green sword, "All I wanted to do was seize the King's property, and return to Pariah's Keep... But now you give me no choice. By the authority vested in me by my lord and liege..." The sword began glowing, and the Fright Knight plunged it into the earth. Vlad, Danny, and Valerie gasped and stared as spikes of green energy flew out from the ghostly weapon.

"I claim this town now and forever under the banner of Lord Pariah, the King of all ghosts!"

Green energy spiraled up in a tornado from the sword, and spread out in all directions before ascending towards the outskirts of the city. The citizens of the town watched in shock and horror from FentonWorks, as a giant dome encased the city. The ghosts fighting skeletons were distracted, and looked up in horror at the ghost shield that trapped them in the city.

 _"The sword is sunk, your die now cast_

 _The sword removed shall signal fast_

 _Make reappear the things thou hast_

 _Or your next day shall be your last."_

Once the prophecy-like poem was said, the Fright Knight vanished and a cloud of shrieking bats replaced him. Vlad and Danny shielded their faces from the flying creatures, and then stared at each other in shock.

"Well, at least he's gone for now." Vlad finally said, still shocked at what had just happened. "We need to help the others fight off the skeletons, and then we can make a new plan."

Valerie rolled her eyes, "That plan didn't work at all! Now we're trapped in Amity Park, and both the Ring _and_ Crown are still here!" In the distance, they could hear Johnny's bike racing around as he ran over skeletons.

"I guess we underestimated the Fright Knight a bit. Plus our plan didn't exactly work like it was supposed to." Danny said in annoyance.

"The only thing we can do is regroup and try again..." The older halfa said with a sigh.

"What if we just remove the sword? Wouldn't that get rid of the shield so we could still go through with the plan?" Danny asked, walking over to the sword sticking out of the ground.

"Danny, no!" Vlad yelled, red eyes wide in shock and fear. "The sword is a signal!"

It was too late. Danny looked at the sword in his hands in confusion. "A signal? A signal of _what?!_ "

The green light that had surrounded the sword retracted to the ghost shield above, and large cracks formed on the green dome. Fragmented pieces fell to the city below, several of which would have squashed the two half-ghosts had they not turned intangible.

They stared at the green swirls in the sky as the shield deteriorated. Somehow, Amity Park was in the Ghost Zone!

The green sword in Danny's grip started to shake, and flew out of his grasp and into the Fright Knight's, where he hovered above where the shield was. By his side was the Ghost King himself.

* * *

All of the ghosts stared up in horror, their bravery now gone as they flew away and out of sight. Danny, Vlad and Valerie looked up fearfully at the two powerful ghosts in the air above them.

" _Where are my Ring and Crown?!_ " Pariah demanded, his booming voice echoing around the city.

Danny inconspicuously looked over to where the other ghosts had been, and there sat the crown on the ground, in plain sight. He would have facepalmed had the situation not been as dire.

A new wave of skeletons came rushing towards the three floating figures, looking for the two artifacts. The crown had already been found; it floated up into Pariah Dark's field of vision, and he grinned as the crown sat atop his head again.

"Now where is the Ring of Rage?" He demanded, eager to restore his power completely.

"That girl has it!" The Fright Knight exclaimed, pointing at Valerie, showing the clearly visible ring on her finger.

Valerie's breath caught in her throat as the two powerful ghosts glared at her. She peered at her allies nervously, and they did the same.

It was all over. The King couldn't possibly lose the ring again now, since he knew exactly where it was.

"Give me my Ring, girl, and I may spare you!"

Valerie pulled the ring off with a shaking hand and threw it as hard as she could in the opposite direction. "Go get it ghost freak!" She screamed and flew away on her hover board back towards the city.

Danny and Vlad remained there, blinking at the unexpected action by the Huntress.

"Attack! Now!" The older halfa commanded in a harsh whisper, and the two rushed towards the Ghost King, firing up energy in their hands.

A few shots were fired, but the King was prepared. He expertly dodged and grabbed both halfas around their necks.

Just by looking at them up close, he could tell something was different about them. With a sneer, he commented, "Part human and part ghost... _interesting_..."

Without hesitation, he brutally electrocuted both ghosts, causing them to transform into their human forms. Dazed, they fell to the ground, barely conscious.

The Ghost King chuckled evilly before flying in the direction of his Ring.

Once the ghosts had left the clearing, Valerie circled back around from the city upon seeing the two unconscious humans.

"Mr. Masters! Danny!"

She carefully picked them both up and flew towards FentonWorks. The huntress placed them down on furniture before sitting down against the wall, exhausted from the fight she had just been a part of.

* * *

Vlad pulled out a little rectangular contraption, and he stared down at it with a bitter feeling. He would probably regret what he was about to do, but he knew it was only to protect Danny.

A few hours had passed since he and Danny fell victim to the Ghost King. They had woken up in FentonWorks, and found out that the Fenton Ghost shield had expanded to protect the whole city.

Amity Park had somehow been teleported to the Ghost Zone, and the only explanation was that it was Pariah's doing. Of course, it had made it much easier for him to retrieve his two power-infused items, and he had succeeded in gaining them back.

Vlad figured the King had returned to his castle to re-energize before he would launch a full-scale attack on the Ghost Zone and Earth. Pariah could afford to take his time now that he had his unlimited power again.

So the billionaire had a last resort, to hopefully save both humans and ghosts alike from Pariah's second reign. If he died, so be it, as long as Danny and everyone else was safe.

The older half-ghost noiselessly made sure the dial was set to one hour, regretting his plan more and more as time went on. Would this ruin his relationship with the younger halfa who he cared for like family? What would Vlad have to do to earn the boy's trust again, assuming the man even survived this?

He sighed before walking out onto the roof. It was now or never, and time was precious. The King was somewhere doing who-knew-what with his unstoppable power, skeleton ghosts were still rampaging around the city, and most importantly Amity Park was literally stuck in another dimension.

In other words, there was no time to waste.

The man approached the raven-haired boy, cringing inside when he was met by a grim but determined smile.

"So, Fruitloop, are you ready to go kick Pariah's ghostly butt?" The younger half-ghost asked with his usual snarky attitude.

Vlad took a deep breath, "Well, about that... We have something to discuss."

"All right," Danny said, "What is it then?"

"Daniel... You aren't going to fight the Ghost King."

The boy blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," the man looked down, "I'm going, alone, and you're staying here where it's safe."

Danny stared, then started to chuckle, "Heh, that's funny. Great joke, Vlad, now shouldn't we really get going?"

The older half-ghost felt his eyes heating up with red energy. Danny was making it way harder than it had to be. Couldn't he just comply and not let it come to Vlad's plan B?

"I'm not going to let you come and get hurt fighting one of the most powerful ghosts in existence, Daniel."

"What? Get hurt?!" His voice cracked in annoyance, "I get hurt _every freaking day_ , Vlad! You don't think I can handle this?"

"You're not ready..."

"This is what you've been training me for!" Danny's voice rose to a yell, "I could _help you!_ You can't just go alone to fight! The chances of winning would be even lower! How does that make any sense to you?!"

"Danny, you have your whole life ahead of you!" Vlad shouted back, "I can't let you throw it all away for this! Pariah is the most powerful ghost to exist besides the Ancients! I can't let you fight him!"

"Oh, but you can go fight him all by yourself?" Danny snapped, "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!"

Vlad glared, "Dumb or not, it's happening."

Without a word, the man raised the device in his hand to point at the boy in front of him. He pushed the button before he could back down, flinching at the zapping sound of electricity.

It was the lowest voltage that would still make the device function. Vlad tested it on himself to make sure there were no terrible side effects. By all means, the device wouldn't bring lasting harm, at least physically.

Emotionally, it was another story.

The man flinched at the pained yelp and shocked betrayal in his student's eyes. Breathing hard, Danny stepped back, creating distance between him and Vlad.

"Wh-what did you do to me?!" He stuttered, his eyes wide as he looked fearfully at the other half-ghost.

"Your powers are gone for the next hour," Vlad explained quietly. "So you can't follow me and get hurt."

He boy stared in disbelief, his eyes glistening and pleading for Vlad to not leave him behind.

The elder halfa turned to Sam and Tucker, who were standing awkwardly to the side, looking down and around and anywhere but at their friend.

"Please, make sure he stays safe." He told them quietly.

Danny flinched and didn't meet his friends' eyes. The betrayal he felt was palpable and it made the three others cringe.

"Danny..." Sam said softly, "It's for the best-"

"For the best?!" He exclaimed in fury, tears building up in his blue eyes. "It's not for the best that Vlad is going to kill himself fighting an invincible Ghost King, _alone!_ "

"It's his choice dude," Tucker muttered, "He's giving you this opportunity, you have to make the best of it..." He trailed off and looked to the floor.

Danny shook his head, sobs racking his body. Vlad shuddered at the sight and promised to himself that he'd make up for it later.

If there _was_ a later for him...

Before he could change his mind, he transformed, maybe for the last time, and took off into the green sky. He gained speed as we went up and up, closer and closer to the bright green ghost shield surrounding Amity Park. Like Tucker had promised, it briefly turned off and back on again, which made enough space for Vlad to shoot through.

There was no turning back now.

* * *

Danny watched as the grey and red form disappeared into the sky. Strangely, he didn't feel terribly sad or angry... He just felt numb. Was this all a dream, and he would wake up in his bed, on a normal day?

He knew he should have been fighting more for permission to go with Vlad, for the older halfa's sake. But if it was all a dream, that wouldn't matter.

Danny pinched his arm, and concluded with a frown that it was indeed not a dream.

He looked at his friends, who had moved since when he had seen them last. Tucker was now right inside the building next to them, monitoring the switches that controlled the shield. Sam leaned against the wall close to the door, her purple haze to the ground and an unreadable expression on her face.

Danny slowly walked over, flinching when they looked over at him. He still couldn't believe that they had made a deal with Vlad behind his back, that he would be trapped where it was safe... Or at least more safe than where Vlad was going.

"Well..." He said quietly, "...You guys up for helping me get my powers back?"

Sam and Tucker looked at him, differing emotions in their eyes.

"Please. I have to go help, I just _have to!_ "

"Danny..." Sam started.

"Vlad is one of the most powerful ghosts we know." Tucker interrupted. "There is a chance he will be successful alone."

"Yeah, _a chance!_ " The ghost boy snapped back. "But not a _good_ one! He said himself that Pariah is more powerful, even without his Ring and Crown giving him unlimited energy!"

"Which is exactly why you both shouldn't have to get hurt fighting him!" Sam yelled, unusual tears gathering in her lavender eyes.

"Sam... you have to let me do this!" Danny pleaded, taking her hand and not noticing her blush. "It's my responsibility."

"No it's not, dude." Tucker said quietly.

"Well maybe not, but then it's not Vlad's either!" He argued. "Please, with me and him fighting together there's a much better chance than just him fighting alone! You have to understand that!"

The techno-geek sighed in defeat and looked at the goth beside him, who wiped a tear from her cheek.

" _Please!_ "

After a few seconds, Sam sighed and nodded to Tucker. After a moment, a determined expression made its way onto his face. "Okay, that device uses electricity to disable a ghost's powers..." He muttered, attempting to think of a cure for the effects. "Maybe I can rig up one of my own."

The halfa grinned and pulled both of his friends into a hug.

They could still succeed. But they had to hurry.

* * *

Vlad flew further and further into the Ghost Zone, the red castle growing larger and larger in the distance. He could already see a huge army of skeletons amassed, in wait for him.

With a deep breath, the halfa flickered into invisibility before flying closer. He knew he shouldn't waste his energy fighting the King's army, for his fight with Pariah was much more important.

His only priority was to get the King back into his tomb. That, and to not die... but the former mattered more.

He passed intangibly through the castle walls, and he emerged into the throne room where his enemy was waiting.

"Ah, I was wondering when you would show up." The ghost sneered, sitting comfortably upon his throne, both the Ring and the Crown glowing brightly. "I've been looking forward to seeing your pitiful attempt at defeating me."

"Well, why don't I show you then?" Vlad Plasmius growled and bared his fangs, conjuring up a strong white and pink beam and sending it straight towards the Ghost King. Sneering, the King easily dodged it and sent back one of his own.

The atmosphere of the throne room crackled with electricity as the two ghosts battled, the two figures never hesitating or flinching.

Vlad was knocked back into the far wall, the bricks crumbling from the force. He blinked open his red eyes to see the King's smirk in his face, and the halfa was lifted up by his grey cape.

"Pathetic." The King breathed into the other ghost's face, his large hands around his opponent's neck.

Vlad sent a strong ghost stinger to the other ghost, sending him flying back with a strangled yell.

"This fight isn't over yet." The half-ghost answered under his breath, pink energy returning to his gloved hands.

Pariah Dark smirked in response and sent another ghost-ray. The fight continued with both enemies deeply engaged, dodging and attacking viciously.

Vlad was punched back into the wall for the second time, groaning at the impact. He didn't know how much longer he could keep this up, but he knew he wouldn't stop until his opponent was safely locked away.

He saw the King approaching and struggled to pick himself up off the wall.

Much to their surprise, a familiar green laser shot from the corner of the room, and knocked the King into his throne, destroying it instantly.

A shadowed form flickered out of invisibility, neon green eyes sparkling with anticipation and a cocky grin on his face, "Can I join the party?"

Pariah floated upright and chuckled, "So now both human-ghosts are in my presence! It'll be an honor to destroy both of you _abominations_."

The older half-ghost sent a sharp glare to the younger, "I told you to stay where it was safe!" He hissed under his breath.

"Not this time, Fruitloop." Danny replied, still annoyed at the other half-ghost for obvious reasons, and his narrowed gaze moved to Pariah, who grinned at them both.

The ghost boy threw up a hasty green shield when a red blast came from the King, and the fight was back on. Vlad fought with renewed strength, knowing that it was not only him in danger anymore.

He had a fight to win and a son to protect.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sam and Tucker had brought up the Specter Speeder full of the ghostly allies from the earlier fight. The group of ghosts eagerly launched an attack against the skeleton army, knowing that the two halfas were fighting the King at the same time. They had to do their part to ensure victory for the Ghost Zone.

As their ghostly allies fought, Sam and Tucker sat inside the Speeder, worriedly looking out at the castle.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Sam asked, still having doubt in her mind.

"You've seen what they can do," Tucker responded with a smile. "I believe in them."

The two teenagers turned back to watch the fight, hope and confidence in their hearts.

* * *

"No!" Danny shouted, throwing his hands outward at the advancing Pariah, who had been ready to attack Vlad. Freezing blue beams shot out from his fingertips, encasing the King in ice and halting the fight.

Both half-ghosts stared, chests heaving from the intense fighting from just seconds before. Danny shivered at the strange cold feeling in his fingertips that had encased the king in solid ice.

Vlad looked over proudly at Danny, who had seemingly found out how to use his ice core's power.

Before the two half ghosts could do anything, the ice began to melt, and the king's bright red eyes glowered with hate.

With a strong red blast, the fight was back on.

The two halfas acted as one, weaving in and out with attacks and making it hard for their enemy to land a hit. But they were tiring quickly, and the king seemed to have an endless amount of energy. And he obviously was aware, as his insidious grin gave away as he blocked attack after attack.

Panting, Phantom managed to knock the King back several feet and looked hopelessly to the older ghost beside him for a new idea.

"Let's try something," the man suggested tiredly, "Do you think you could conjure up that ice again?"

Danny shrugged, looking unsure.

"On the count of three, shoot between us, right there." Vlad pointed to the general area.

" _One-_ "

The King was scowling at them, floating forward menacingly, not realizing their plan and the Sarcophagus lined up across the room behind him.

" _Two-_ "

With a gasp, the younger half-ghost's irises lit up light blue, followed by his gloved hands. Hot pink energy sparked across the other ghost's fingertips.

" _Three!_ "

Simultaneously, pink and blue energies met a few feet in front of the halfas, forming a bright, blinding white ball of light upon contact, and a glowing purple beam shot toward Pariah, who had no time to react before he was thrown to the other side of the room.

"No!" He screamed, furiously shooting back energy, but nothing seemed to save him from his fate.

Foot by foot, he was pushed back towards the Sarcophagus, red eyes lighting up in fear and shock as he realized what was happening.

"You will pay for this!" He threatened menacingly, practically seething at the two attacking halfas. "I will _destroy both of you_ in the most painful way imaginable!"

Vlad, although exhausted, created a duplicate that flew up and fired a final shot, encasing the Ghost King in his prison, and holding the lid shut.

The two halfas ceased shooting energy, the ectoplasmic energy rays dissipating before their eyes.

Danny used his last bit of energy to duplicate like his mentor did; the Phantom copy stole the key from its glass case and locked the Sarcophagus for the second, and hopefully final time.

When Pariah Dark's yells could no longer be heard, both half-ghosts fell to the ground, completely drained of energy.

After twin rings of light and dark, two humans were all that remained in the throne room.

Chests heaving, they smiled at each other.

"We did it..."

"Let's go home, Little Badger."

* * *

 **And that was Storm Clout, everyone! (cue the applause and celebratory music!** **) I'm so sorry it took so long… And also, I realize many things were different than the episode. I took out the Ecto-skeleton, added the Plasmius Maximus, and basically changed the entire progression of the episode. But I think it turned out okay, hopefully.**

 **I'll be posting a few chapters to my other one-shot story that goes with this one, Of Fruitloops and Badgers, so watch out for that! I already have a teaser for The Ultimate Enemy written and ready to post to OFAB, as well as a few other plot bunnies. I hope that will make up for my long absence. :)**

 **Anyway thanks for reading, if you read that all the way through! I know it was long and poorly planned and all that. Maybe sometime I'll get better at writing better fight scenes, and overall better planned chapters... we can only hope!**

 **See you all at TUE, coming up soon!**

 **-Specter14**


	11. Checkmate!

**Happy Easter to everyone! :D I'm already back with a new chapter! I'm sorry to say it isn't TUE, but don't worry, it's already far in the works! :) This will be a quick filler chapter, it's way shorter than my usual chapters, but I felt it was needed to wrap up last chapter.**

 **Thanks to the following people for favoriting/following this story since last chapter: dst 08000, Desert Dragon2000, 09gemgg, Karlo666, mikaela2015, Darth1Bane, and Lady Valkyria.**

 **And thanks to dst 08000 for following and faving me as an author! :D Thanks so much!**

 **ABOUT REVIEWS: Thank you to these people for reviewing: Invader Johnny, RedHeadsRock1010, Kimera20, Commander M2, mikaela2015, vampireharry the 2, Brenne, memmek10k, angelvan105, and Jacobfrit112097. I will not be responding separately, because all the reviews were pretty similar in saying "great chapter!" or something along those lines. THANK YOU FOR THE FEEDBACK! :D I love reading my reviews, especially since sometimes I'm worried people won't like the chapter or whatever. So from now and on I will just be doing review shout-outs, unless you have a specific question or something. Or I can PM you, espiecially if I know an update isn't coming very soon.**

 **All I can say is thank you to everyone who reads this cringy fanfic, I had no idea it would gain so much support. Right now it is almost at _10,000 VIEWS_! HOLY MOTHER OF CRAP WHAT? xDDD Thanks so much to everyone, really! It makes me so happy. Thank you. :')**

 **NOW FOR THE CHAPTER! TUE should be posted in about a week, I'm guessing. Updates will be much faster from now and on. I'll try to be better about having a set deadline...**

 **Disclaimer : The characters belong to Butch Hartman**

* * *

 **Checkmate!**

"Focus. And just relax, it should come naturally."

The white-haired floating figure's eyebrows furrowed, eyes shut in concentration.

"Picture our fight with Pariah, when you summoned it. And keep breathing deeply. You've got it."

A minute or so passed, with no change from either ghost.

Finally the younger one growled in frustration, his emerald green eyes flitting open. "I can't do it! I don't understand, how could I do it before and not now?"

"Sometimes powers do that; often you develop one in a dire situation to assist you, like during the fight, and then it disappears for a while after. Perhaps in another week or two you will gain the ability again."

Danny sighed, obviously irritated at his failure to access his newly found ice powers.

"Or, we could search for a benevolent ice-wielder to help you. I do not have that particular power. It may be difficult for me to teach something I don't know how to do myself." Vlad explained sheepishly.

"I do remember a tribe of ghost yetis with ice powers, that my friends and I found once..." the boy remembered, "but it would be too weird to have someone other than you showing me a power!"

The billionaire chuckled, secretly feeling proud that Danny didn't want to be taught by anyone other than the man himself.

It had been just a week since the fight with Pariah Dark. Since then, the two half-ghost's lives had returned to somewhat normal; the ghosts had gratefully returned to their homes in the Ghost Zone, and school and work resumed as usual for the people of Amity Park.

Several news crews had broadcasted the strange occurrence, when Amity had disappeared off the face of the Earth for more than six hours (they meant it as disappearing electronically, and communications halting for that long. Other parts of the U.S. weren't aware that Amity had physically been gone for that time). No one could figure out the truth, however. The explanations ranged from a city-wide power malfunction to an alien invasion, but only the citizens of Amity knew that it was actually ghosts behind the incident.

Once both halfas had left Pariah's Keep, the other ghosts took care of the two power-holding artifacts by locking them back up. The Ghost Zone was kingless again, at least for the time being. For the past few hundred years, it had been in a state of anarchy without a supreme ruler to unite the Zone. However, the ghosts seemed to be doing just fine without a dictator; the different regions of the Ghost Zone simply arranged themselves as they saw fit. So, the Zone would likely be without a ruler for many years to come.

And to top it off, Valerie, the former Red Huntress, had been allowed to keep her suit again. It was the least Vlad could do for her, since she willingly agreed to ally with him against the Ghost King. After the experience, she seemed to trust ghosts a bit more, since they had fought beside her and even saved her a few times during the fight. Maybe her times of revenge on ghosts was over... though Vlad doubted it. Possibly after another team-up she would realize her misconceptions about ghosts.

Vlad halted his thoughts to suggest something to his disappointed student.

"I have an idea. How about we try a different type of training today?"

"Sure, what do you have in mind?"

* * *

"See, the point of the game is to kill the other player's king."

The two halfas, in their human forms, sat facing each other at a small square table, both looking down at the chess board in front of them. The black and white pieces were strewn about, not yet set up on the checkered board. Eleanor the ghost cat looked on curiously from a nearby armchair, her yellow eyes lazily following the movements of her owner.

"Now to explain the pieces. This is the rook." The older explained, holding up the piece. "It can move forward and back and side to side, but not diagonally. The rooks go on the corners of the board." He placed the black rook and its counterpart into their places on his side of the board.

The boy nodded, signifying his understanding.

"The knights go beside the rooks. They can move in a L shape in any direction, which means three spaces in one direction and one space to either side." He showed a possible move of the knight to give an example. "And knights can go over other pieces while moving."

"That's a bit strange, but okay." The boy responded, fingering his white chess pieces, not yet placing them down.

"Next is the bishop. It can move in any direction diagonally. It goes beside both of the knights, like this." He placed the two bishops in their places. "And then comes the king and queen. The king goes on his own color, and the queen goes on the space beside."

Danny nodded once more, antsy to start playing the game.

"The king can move only one space at a time in any direction, making it the slowest, most vulnerable piece. On the other hand, the queen is by far the best piece because it can move in any direction as many spaces as you want, though it can't move over another piece. Only the knights can do that."

Looking only a little confused, Danny nodded yet again.

"And lastly, the pawns line up in front. They can move two spaces forward at first, but then only one space at a time as they cross the board. Also, they can only take out another piece by moving one space diagonally forward." He showed another example, this time of how a pawn could kill an enemy piece. "And the pawns can resurrect one of your lost pieces if they reach your opponent's side of the board. And that's how a chess board is set up." Vlad said with a smile.

"Cool." The younger half-ghost grinned, and began setting up his own side of the board. "Okay... so the castle-things-"

"Rooks."

The boy shot the man an annoyed look. "-go first on the corners, and then the horses-"

"You mean knights."

Danny glared, causing the billionaire across from him to laugh a little.

"All right, I'll let you continue."

"Thanks. So then the bishops (see, Fruitloop, I remembered the name of that one!) are next, and then the king and queen go down, the king on its own color." The white king was placed on the white square. "And last the little pieces-"

"Pawns."

"Are you done correcting everything I say?" Danny asked in annoyance, continuing to put down all of the white pawns in their places.

"Never. It's my job, Little Badger."

The boy rolled his eyes. "Whatever, can we just play now?"

"Sure. White always goes first."

Danny looked down to study the board, frowning at his pieces. Finally he moved a pawn forward two spaces.

The two halfas continued taking their turns, intense concentration on both of their faces.

After several minutes, Vlad spoke up. " _Check_. Oh, I forgot to say this earlier, when you are one move from killing the opponent's king, you say ' _check_.' And if the king cannot move to avoid getting killed, you say ' _checkmate_ ,' which means the game is over."

"That may have been important to tell me earlier, you know." Danny said with a sassy sigh, quickly moving his king a space to the side.

"Sorry. Must have slipped my mind." Vlad apologized, not sounding sorry at all, and he moved one of his black pieces to the other side of the board.

The younger half-ghost rolled his eyes, moving another piece. It was obvious that he was losing, but it was his first game after all.

Vlad moved his queen with a smile, "Checkmate!"

"What?" Danny studied the board in astonishment, seeing the meticulous setup of the man's pieces that trapped the white king. "Aww. How did you do that?"

"It just takes practice and strategy, Daniel. Plus I've been playing the game since college, so I have many years of experience."

The boy scoffed, "I don't think I'll ever beat you, then."

"Maybe someday. You're already getting close to being able to beat me in a real fight."

Danny shook his head modestly, "No way, I'm nowhere near close to doing that!"

Vlad shook his head, smiling proudly. "You underestimate yourself, Badger. You fought off Pariah Dark, unlimited power and all!"

"Yeah, with your help! There's no way I could have beaten him alone."

"Maybe not now, but in the future I don't doubt that you'll be powerful enough and then some."

"Yeah yeah, let's stop talking about this." Danny suggested, still looking embarrassed. "Do you want to play again?"

* * *

"Checkmate."

"Ugh, again? Will you let me at least have a _chance_ , Fruitloop?" Danny asked in exasperation.

Vlad grinned, "Oh come on, let an old man have a bit of fun every once in a while!"

"I let you have plenty of fun." The boy argued with an eye roll. "Losing this game so many times is having an effect on my self-confidence."

"Stop being so dramatic, Daniel." The man sighed, "Okay fine, I'll go easy on you this time. Go ahead and set it up again." Vlad laid back with his hands rested behind his head, not touching his own pieces.

"What, do I have to set up the whole board now?"

"Consider it payment for me letting you win the next game."

Danny smiled and began setting up the board again. "All right, deal!"

* * *

 **I'm sure you had an idea of what this was gonna be from the title. I hoped you liked this chill, short little chapter! :D Please let me know if there are any plot holes I failed to address from last chapter. I know I ended it pretty quickly, and I didn't have a chance to explain stuff that happened right afterwards.**

 **ALSO, I'll be posting a chapter of Of Fruitloops And Badgers today too! If you haven't checked out that one-shot series yet, I recommend it! It may not be completely necessary to read in order to understand this story, but I added a teaser for The Ultimate Enemy already! BEWARE THE ANGST! And I'm about to post another chapter with Danny getting fangs. Spoilers! xD I think at least some of you would read that, right? ...Right?**

 **Anyway thanks for reading and stay tuned for TUE and more updates from OFAB! :)**


	12. The Ultimate Adversary

**WELP, new rule, whenever I estimate the next update, add at _least_ a few months onto that estimate... xD Sorry about the wait (AGAIN)... I just kept putting it off I guess. Luckily I pulled myself together before I'll be unavailable for a whole week... so that's good, right?**

 **THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO FOLLOWED/FAVED THIS STORY SINCE THE LAST CHAPTER: hlf1495, 2000girl, estrella. ahr. 22, Tmejia, LalaSpade, vindom21, Maleficus Animus, Asurau, Commander M2, Gajeel-rocks, The New Mystical Arca Master, Lizard LIZZY, Kazex0okami, LuffyLover27, Willow D'Forest, the. millieal. in. gen. Z, SuperKirbyLand234, TheDarkTactician, Ren8Ichigo, JKrlin, Terin96, thatsmartchick, NATSUxERZA, iheartanime101, I-AM-THE-LOVE-MONKEY, and Shay McSudonim.**

 **THANKS TO THOSE WHO FAVED/FOLLOWED ME AS AN AUTHOR: Tmejia, Asurau,** **the. millieal. in. gen. Z** **, and I-AM-THE-LOVE-MONKEY.**

 **And THOSE WHO REVIEWED SINCE LAST CHAPTER: Invader Johnny, angelvan105, Kimera20, Serlenia, jeanette9a, memmek10k, Commander M2, and vampireharry the 2. I read every review and thanks so much to everyone for the support and nice words! :D :D :D I got great ideas from some of you for future chapters so thanks so much for that!**

 **(I'm sorry to those with .'s in their names, the site was being weird and not letting me type them normally... 0-0)**

 **With no further ado, I give you the rewrite of The Ultimate Enemy, The Ultimate Adversary! (Amazingly creative name am I right)**

 **Disclaimer: I only own my changes to the plot, all characters belong to Butch Hartman.**

* * *

 **The Ultimate Adversary**

 **RECAP: Everything happened in the beginning as in the original; Dark Dan finally destroyed Amity Park in the future, Clockwork sent Box Lunch after Danny to attempt to change the future, and he and his friends went to see Clockwork and were later sent to the future (and etc, I can't remember every single event right now but you get the gist). This picks up with Jazz after she found out about the stolen test answers.**

Jazz sighed as she sat in her room. The teenage girl, or "young adult," as she preferred to be called, was lying on her pink bed and staring at her brother's open backpack, which had been dropped carelessly in the corner. The envelope containing stolen test answers was propped up against it.

The older Fenton child sighed once again; she felt very disappointed in Danny. The truth was, she had known about his secret identity for months. Ever since the Spectra incident at Casper High School, Jazz had known about her brother's alternate ego and heroic acts to protect their town. Wishing to be a silent helper, she had covered constantly for her brother, hiding the truth from their parents and Danny's teachers alike.

She had smiled proudly every time the newspaper published a positive article on the mysterious ghost boy, or when a news reporter would happily inform the town about the ghost's newest deed. Of course, there were also negative opinions on the ghost boy, newly known as "Danny Phantom" to the town, but the opposing reports were considerably less in number than the approving voices heard commonly in Amity Park.

Of course, Maddie and Jack Fenton remained on the negative side, and they wholly believed that Phantom was malevolent and only played the roll of "hero" to trick the town into trusting him. No matter how much Danny and Jazz had tried to persuade them otherwise, nothing could change their strong opinions.

The girl hoped that someday, her parents would see that the ghost boy wasn't an evil, unfeeling being that deserved to be ripped apart molecule by molecule.

Jazz had been so happy for her brother, from the first minute of knowing his secret. She had really, truly believed that he would refrain from using his powers to gain an unfair advantage. Danny was too good-hearted for that. But shockingly, the orange-haired girl had been wrong.

Danny had stolen the test answers to the most important exam of the school year. And Jazz, the resident goody-two-shoes and straight-A student of the household, viewed cheating as a very serious offense.

The girl slowly stood up and picked up the backpack and packet, hiding them behind her back as she made her way to her brother's door. She had to get answers, and hopefully make Danny understand that he had made a grave mistake.

"Danny?" Jazz called hesitantly as she pushed open the door to his room. "We need to talk."

"What do you want, Jazz? I'm busy." Danny stated darkly, clearly not in the best mood.

"Yeah, busy _cheating!_ " The red-haired girl accused, moving the backpack and packet of test answers out from behind her back. "Lancer was right, you _did_ steal the answers!" The girl sighed in disappointment, her aquamarine eyes shining sadly. "Don't you understand?"

"That I'll be destroying my future?" The boy in found of her chuckled cynically, acting out of character for Jazz's usually-lighthearted brother. "You don't know the half of it." He roughly stole his backpack and test answers out of his sister's hands.

The older teenager sighed again, preparing herself to tell the truth about what she knew. "Danny, I know all of it. About _everything_." She picked up the Booo-merang, that was carelessly lying on the floor. "That you're part ghost, that you were always doing the right thing with your powers... until now." She glared disapprovingly at the raven-haired boy in front of her.

"You knew?" He whispered in shock.

"I _know!_ And I've been covering for you with Mom and Dad because I'm proud of you, and the good that you do! But not anymore." She put her hands on her hips in a no-nonsense fashion.

"You always were smarter than I gave you credit for." Danny grinned almost evilly at his surprised sister, and a pair of bright white rings changed him into his true form: Dan Phantom. Complete with flaming white hair, blue skin not unlike Vlad Plasmius's, glowing red eyes, and the most intimidating smirk Jazz had ever seen, the evil full-ghost was a fearsome sight.

"You-you're not Danny!" Jazz exclaimed in fear, slowly backing up towards the open doorway. "That's why the Booo-merang wasn't homing in on your ecto-signature! You're _not Danny!_ "

"I was," the ghost in front of her remarked in a deep voice, "but I grew out of it. The Danny you know is floating helplessly in the Ghost Zone, ten years in the future." His victorious smile communicated clearly that he had little faith in his younger self.

"He'll escape." The teenage girl declared bravely, shooting a glare of her own at the ghost in front of her. "He'll beat you!"

"How?" Dan asked with an arrogant smirk. "Is the answer A: the Fenton Portal? Destroyed it. B: the only remaining portal, the one my cheesehead-former-mentor has? As soon as I find it, that's going too."

"Cheesehead?" The orange-haired girl muttered in confusion, before thinking of the only cheesehead her family knew. "Vlad Masters? He's your ' _former mentor_ '?"

Dan ignored her, probably realizing he'd said too much. "Is it C: you? No. You can't stop me from cheating on the C.A.T. and solidifying my future, so it must be D!" A large green laser was shot at the girl, lifting her up from the ground, frozen in midair. "None of the above!"

Jazz watched in horror as the ghost released her roughly back onto the ground, and he adopted the disguise of her 14-year-old brother again. His triumphant smirk was the last thing she saw before everything faded to black.

* * *

"Danny... _no!_ " Jazz screamed and shot up in her pink bed, breathing hard at her nightmare. "Huh? What?"

Had it been a dream? No, no way, it had felt too real. She had to do something!

Before she could move to get out of bed, her parents came in to see if she was okay. They explained that Danny had already gone to the school for his test, and that she was such a good sister for helping him study the night before.

Secretly horrified, Jazz felt her heart pounding in her chest. Evil-Danny had already left for the test. His plan was succeeding.

But not for much longer if she did something about it.

* * *

The teenage psychologist ran to the swirling Fenton Portal just minutes later, panting from her panicked rush. Future-Danny was already at the school, about to cheat; there wasn't time to lose!

She tightly tied a folded up note she had written onto the Booo-merang, with her signature teal headband holding it in place.

"I need you to find Danny. Fourteen-year-old Danny, ten years from now!" She murmured to the invention in her hands. With a deep breath, she threw the metal trinket into the Ghost Portal and prayed that it would reach her brother in time.

* * *

"Please..." Danny Phantom choked, exhausted and beaten up from his encounter with his usual enemies, except ten years in the future.

Normally, he could have easily held his own, even against four moderately powerful ghosts, but he had an anti-ghost-power rope binding his arms to his sides. He couldn't do anything to fight back, and none of his ghost powers were working right, so escaping unnoticed didn't seem possible either.

After so many months of advancing his powers and becoming stronger, this beating he was getting was just _demeaning_.

"I didn't do all of this to you! It _wasn't me!_ " He tried to explain, tiredly pleading with his biggest enemies yet another time.

"Oh stop." Skulk-Tech growled, "You're responsible for the horrible things that happened to your world and ours."

"To everyone you'd ever come in contact with!" Technus added from his place on the robotic suit.

"Your family, your friends, and most importantly, _us!_ " Ember said darkly, green eyes glowing with hate.

"But-" the ghost boy interrupted, "I didn't do any of that!" _At least not yet_ , he thought bleakly as he remembered his terrible future self and what he had done.

His enemies simply got ready for another round of attacks, smirking meanly at the tied up boy in front of them.

"Get away... _get away!_ " Danny yelled, closing his eyes in fear, "Get _AWAAAY!_ "

Powerful green sound waves pushed the screaming ghosts back. The blasting sound lasted for more than half a minute before stopping, leaving the boy panting with exhaustion, and he felt himself tiredly transforming back into his human form.

He realized with dread that he had just used his future self's Ghostly Wail.

"My voice is changing...?" Danny muttered in annoyance, not quite managing to mask his disbelief. "Great... now I'm going through evil puberty. Everywhere I turn, my stupid future is smacking me in the face!"

At that moment, something ironically smacked the half-ghost in the back of the head. After yelping and rubbing the sore spot, he picked up the floating metal contraption curiously.

"A note?" He questioned in confusion while unraveling a familiar aqua headband, which tied the paper securely to the Booo-merang.

He carefully opened up the folded note and read it, every word adding to the shock and confusion he felt, but also giving him an idea. "Wisconsin... Vlad! Maybe he could help with this!"

* * *

Dark Dan grinned evilly as he slammed down his C.A.T. test on Mr. Lancer's desk. He had finished the test before anyone else in the class, but not without the help of the answer key, of course.

"Finished so soon, Mr. Fenton?" Lancer asked, a knowing glare on his face.

"Is that a problem?" Dan, disguised as teenager Danny Fenton, answered darkly, smirking in his teacher's face.

"How should I know? I don't have all the answers..." The teacher accused suspiciously, knowing about the answer key. "Do _you?_ "

Dan remained silent and smiled proudly as he strutted out of the room. What idiots his classmates and teacher were!

He only had one thing left on his agenda that day: destroying his family and friends in the Nasty Burger that evening.

And no one was going to stop him. All according to his plan, Vlad was completely unaware of anything that was happening, and Dan's younger self was stuck in the future with no way to return. Everyone else in the picture was a pathetic human that the future-ghost could easily take care of, or a weak ghost whose power didn't compete in the slightest with Dan's.

The ghost smirked at his success, almost within his grasp. Just a few more hours and his future would be solidified, ensuring that he would remain in existence.

He could taste the victory already.

* * *

"Well... that's Vlad for ya." Younger-Danny exclaimed, rolling his eyes upon seeing the giant football covering the entrance to the other half-ghost's portal. "Subtle as a flying mallet."

The portal wasn't far from where it usually was, but the fact that it had moved at all made Danny worry. What could have happened to Vlad in the terrible future? The boy was scared to know.

Phantom shoved away the football and cautiously entered the portal, unaware of what he was going to find.

He emerged into a dark room, countless dusty machines and trinkets cluttering the shadowed walls.

"Hello?" He hesitantly called out. "Vlad? It's Danny from the past! I have a problem and I need youuu!"

He was met with silence.

"Well I guess he could be-"

A bearded face appeared from around a dark corner, "Who's there?!"

"Vlad?!" Danny said in surprise, simply taking in the old man's disheveled and unshaven appearance, the long white beard and all. "You're... _old!_ "

"D-Daniel...?" The man gasped, not reacting like he usually would to the "old" comment. "Is that really you?"

Danny watched in confusion as the man slowly stepped forward, reaching out a hand to touch the boy's face, as if to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

"Fruitloop... what happened to you?" Danny asked sadly. He didn't pull away when he was brought into a tight hug.

"I-I haven't seen you in so long... you're so young." The former billionaire wheezed into the ghost boy's ear. "How are you here?"

"I came from the past," Danny softly began to explain, not moving out of the older man's shaky grip. "Long story short, I have one of Clockwork's time medallion's fused inside me, so I can't return to my time. And to top it off, my jerky future self is probably wrecking havoc in my place."

"He's in the past? In your time period?" Vlad whimpered uncharacteristically, stepping back to look right in Danny's eyes. "You have to stop Him. It's the only chance of making sure this future never happens!"

"I-I know!" The boy reassured, "I just need your help to return and stop Him. But before that..." he paused briefly, before continuing in a hushed, sad voice, "what happened? How did it turn out like this?"

"Oh, Badger..." the man began, depressed, broken blue eyes looking to the ground. "It was a tragedy. About ten years ago, it happened. You had come to see me after school, seeking advice after cheating on a big test..."

"The C.A.T.?" Danny repeated in shock, "I really cheated?"

"Yes," the man answered, sighing a bit before continuing, "But you regretted it, and wanted to fix the situation however you could. Not long after you had arrived... that burger joint you liked, the Nasty Burger... it exploded, with your two friends and your family inside."

"No..." Danny whispered, fully attentive to the retelling of the past. He had learned about that part earlier from Dan, but it sounded much more real when told from the defeated old man in front of him.

"You were devastated. You moved in with me after that, and I tried the best I could to help you," Older-Vlad looked away sadly, "but I wasn't good enough. You got worse and worse as weeks went by, until you begged for me to separate your ghost and human halves."

"What?!" Danny gaped at the man, shocked at how quickly the situation had escalated.

"I tried to avoid it, I really did. But you never gave up pleading, and one day I gave in and respected your wishes... Oh, what a mistake that was..." Vlad dropped his head onto his hands, shaking from reliving the memories from a decade before.

"So you did it..." Danny guessed quietly, having a feeling of how the story ended.

"Yes... Phantom had gone insane. Do you remember me telling you what happens when a ghost loses its obsession? Well that's what happened when you lost your family. You were convinced that it was all your fault that you couldn't protect them."

The boy looked down, simply letting his former mentor's words sink in.

"I had used your parents' invention, the Ghost Gauntlets. Once Phantom was separated, he stole them and used them to do the same to me and my ghost half."

" _No_..." Danny responded, watery blue eyes widening.

"Phantom ended up overshadowing Plasmius, and the grief of both ghosts caused a freak reaction; they fused into the being known to the world as 'Dark Dan,' your current future self." Vlad frowned in concern at the shocked half-ghost in front of him, but continued on. "He ravaged the world for a decade, up until now, using our combined powers to destroy city after city, until only Amity Park and a few other, well defended cities were left."

"W-what about my human half? What happened to him?" Danny questioned quietly, afraid to hear what he had already guessed.

Vlad's expression said enough, and dark-blue eyes looked down at the white-haired ghost sorrowfully.

After a few minutes of silence, Danny spoke up, confidence backing his words. "Don't worry. I'll fix this. I'll never turn into _Him_."

The former halfa smiled slightly, ruffling the boy's white hair. "I don't doubt that, Little Badger."

"Now, I need help getting back to the past. I have a future to change and a family to save."

* * *

Jazz pursed her lips in worry as she sat in the kitchen, staring at the wall phone beside her. Evil Future-Danny was already done cheating on the exam, and there was nothing the girl could do about it. She knew she was at a major disadvantage against the powerful ghost; he had easily knocked her out twice in the past 24 hours (once in Danny's room and once at the school, when Jazz had stupidly tried to stop him herself), so there was no doubt he could do it again if she tried to interfere with his plans.

She couldn't do this alone, and not even Sam and Tucker's help would be enough to defeat Danny's future self. That much was obvious.

The parent-teacher conference was scheduled at 5:00 that afternoon at the Nasty Burger, and Jazz had a bad feeling that it was a big part of Evil-Danny's plot. The analog clock on the wall read 2:56; there wasn't much time left for Jazz to think of a plan.

The orange-haired girl took a deep breath and picked up the phone, dialing in the number she had looked up just minutes before. If she was going to stop Future-Danny, she definitely needed help. And luckily he had let it slip that he had a "former mentor"...

Should she be trusting Evil-Danny at all? He easily could have let the information slip solely to confuse her, or possibly to make her expose her brother's secret to someone untrustworthy.

But Vlad could be her only chance...

She waited nervously as the phone rang, her fingers trembling from the sheer anxiety the situation caused.

 _One ring..._

 _Two rings..._

 _Three-_

"Hello, this is Vlad Masters."

"Hello Mr. Masters, this is Jazz Fenton," Jazz said, her hand continuing to shake. "Um, this is sort of urgent. Listen, I... I know about Danny."

Silence. Jazz hoped that her suspicious were correct, and Vlad knew also, or else she had just put her brother's secret in jeopardy.

"And... he's in serious trouble. We're all in serious trouble." She swallowed. "Oh boy, this is going to sound insane."

"Believe me, I've had my share of 'insane'." The man commented dryly, and Jazz smiled in relief at the response. "Please enlighten me. What has he gotten himself into this time?"

The orange-haired girl chuckled half-heartedly and began to explain. "All right, here's what I know. Danny's stuck in the future and his future self from that time is in the present, and he's disguised as our Danny. He let it slip that you're apparently his 'cheesehead-former-mentor' and also that he's here to cheat on the C.A.T. to 'solidify his future,' which can't mean anything good. There's a parent-teacher conference at the Nasty Burger at 5:00, and that has to be part of his plan too, so I think that would be our best bet to stop him."

A few seconds of silence passed once again.

"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting to hear that when you called." Vlad said uneasily. "I'll be right over, and we can discuss this more."

Before Jazz could reply, the line clicked.

The girl replaced the phone on it's holder, and she briefly wondered how soon the billionaire could make it.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Wondering who it was, the teenage psychiatrist answered the front door to see Vlad, looking more serious and concerned than she had ever seen him.

"Vlad? How did you make it this quickly from Wisconsin?!" The girl questioned. She opened the door wider to let him in.

The man ignored the girl's question and took the invitation to enter. "Are you positive that Danny-from-the-future is malevolent?" The man asked. "Maybe he came here for a different reason than you suspect-"

"Believe me, Mr. Masters, I don't want to believe that Danny becomes evil in the future either." Jazz shook her head sadly, remembering her earlier encounter with the ghost. "He already knocked me out twice today when I tried to get in his way. Plus, he explicitly told me that he trapped our Danny in the future. He's got to be bad news."

Vlad shook his head, wearing a similar grievous expression as the teenage girl. "I just don't believe it... Danny, _malevolent?_ Those two words don't belong in the same sentence."

"I know what you mean. But we have to just accept it and hope that Danny makes it back somehow." Jazz smiled with as much reassurance as she could muster. "We only have a few hours before the conference starts." She motioned towards the basement door. "We have the ghost guns and stuff down there if you need weapons-"

"What makes you think I need weapons?"

Jazz watched in surprise as two pitch black rings transformed the smirking billionaire into the ghost her parents referred to as "the Wisconsin Ghost."

The orange-haired teenager stared at the ghost floating in her living room in shock. "So you are like Danny! _I knew it!_ "

Vlad laughed a little, briefly forgetting about the dire situation they were in. "Actually, _he's_ like _me_. I came first. And from what your brother has told me about you, I'm not surprised that you figured it out."

Jazz blushed sheepishly, obviously a bit embarrassed in front of the floating form. "Sorry, that was uncalled for. I'm still a bit new to this... part-ghost stuff."

"No worries, it's understandable." The black-haired ghost answered gently, putting the girl's worry to ease. "I'm sure Danny and I can explain more after this whole crisis is avoided."

Jazz returned the smile and pulled out her Fenton Peeler, showing it to the man. "I have this full body armor suit, so I won't be completely vulnerable. I think we should have a good chance, right?"

"I'm not entirely sure what we're up against, but once Danny makes it back we should have pretty good odds." Vlad said. "Now, do you have any ideas for the plan?"

* * *

Older-Vlad, ten years in the future, silently put on the Ghost Gauntlets, cringing at what he had to do for the second time.

It had taken a while to find the old things, but luckily they seemed to be working as usual. The man didn't know what he and his past student would have done if the Gauntlets had turned out to be broken after so many years of inactivity.

"I'm guessing if you could reach into me, and rip out my humanity..." Danny suggested, and then paused to make a strange face, "which, by the way, sounds totally gross... you can get the medallion out too. Then I'll pop to my present like Tucker and Sam did."

The man nodded, powering up the ghostly inventions, and his hands trembled from the memory of doing the same thing ten years before.

He could do this. It was for Danny, and for the brighter future that was bound to happen as a result.

* * *

Vlad Plasmius, back in the present, watched invisibly from the air, just out of range of any ghost sensors, as the Fenton Family Assault Vehicle pulled up to the already-half-destroyed Nasty Burger. The silhouette of Danny's teacher was visible in the bright yellow headlights as the RV parked in front of the burger joint.

He watched as the two parents and teen got out of the car and approached the annoyed teacher. Danny appeared normal from this distance, but the man still believed Jazz about her knowledge that there was something not right.

"Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, Daniel," Mr. Lancer droned, his baritone voice easily heard by Vlad's hyper-sensitive hearing. "This is the Nasty Burger. When people fail, this is where they end up. Whether they fail because they don't study, or because they cheated." He accused bluntly, holding up Danny's test from hours before.

The two Fenton parents gasped, twin shocked expressions looking at their son.

"Danny, is this true?" Jack asked, glaring down at his son in disappointment.

"Did you cheat?" Maddie questioned in a similar manner.

"You have to get out of here!" The attention of all four people was pulled to Sam Manson and Tucker Foley running full speed towards them. The billionaire in the air looked around in surprise at the disturbance; that hadn't been part of the plan, for Sam and Tucker to be in danger also.

"The Nasty Burger's gonna blow!" Tucker panted desperately. "And we're three feet from it!"

" _South Beach Diet_ , people, what's going on here?" William Lancer exclaimed loudly, ceasing the chaos.

"I'll tell you what's going on!" Jazz stepped away from the shadows in her Fenton Peeler suit, aiming a weapon straight at Danny. Vlad took a silent breath, preparing for his part in the plan. "Or better yet, show you!"

The ecto-gun shot a green beam that hit the raven-haired boy full on, and the floating halfa stared openly in slight horror as glowing cracks formed on the boy's form.

Once the green ecto-ray had dissipated, a glowering, evil-looking ghost was in its place, clothes smoking from the intense power beam that had just been hitting him. White, flaming hair rose off of his head, and glowing red eyes glared at everyone on the scene. Vlad refused to believe that Danny would become that ghost, there was just no way.

"That's _not Danny!_ " The teenage girl shouted, echoing the billionaire's thoughts exactly.

Both Maddie and Jack quickly got over their stunned silence and steeled their expressions, pulling out ghost guns and training them on the furious ghost in front of them.

"Where is he?!" Jack growled as his ghost gun powered up with a high-pitched whine. "Where's our son?"

"What have you done to our boy?" Maddie added furiously, her gun doing the same thing as her husband's.

Jazz stepped up and shakily joined her parents; all three ghost weapons were lighting up and ready to fire at the dark form in front of them.

The ghost cackled, taking the two parents by surprise at his reaction. "I _am_ your boy!"

He took to the air, and his long, black and white cape flapped in the wind. Vlad inched closer, staying just out of range of Future-Danny's ghost sense. His time to step in was coming soon.

"What kind of parents are you anyway? The world's leading ghost experts and you can't figure out that your own son was _half-ghost!_ " The black-and-white-suited ghost grinned. "Hello? Danny _Fenton_ , Danny _Phantom_? Ever notice the similarity? Jazz did."

Vlad felt his eyes narrow at the ghost that had blurted out Danny's biggest secret. The elder halfa now knew it was doubtful that he himself would escape the situation with his own secret intact.

"Liar! Don't move!" Jack bellowed, cocking his gun and preparing to fire at the ghost who had claimed to be his son.

"Actually, no one's going anywhere." Dan smirked, lighting up his hand with green energy and pulling it back to attack. Then to his surprise, his red ghost sense went off.

It was time. Vlad shot forward, remaining invisible, and he forcefully shoved the attacking ghost away from the vulnerable humans below them.

Despite the interruption, Dan had still managed to shoot a stream of green energy towards the shocked group, and they were stuck to the hot vat of Nasty sauce before any of them could move. Jack, Maddie, Mr. Lancer, Jazz, and Danny's two best friends all wore identical panicked expressions as they struggled in their bonds.

The two powerful ghosts had been knocked through the air and fallen down to the ground, and Vlad become visible as he held down the other. Evil-Danny's smirk was enough to make the older halfa shudder with unease.

"Ah, I see the _Fruitloop_ has joined the party!" Dan exclaimed, his hands lighting up once more. Vlad was knocked back several feet by the familiar green beam that hit him. "What a _pleasant_ surprise." The ghost hissed, not managing to disguise his annoyance.

"Nice to see you, too." Vlad muttered and abstained from rolling his eyes, as he wanted to keep his attention solely on the enemy in front of him. He refused to think of that... _creature_ in front of him as sweet, innocent Danny. There was no way in hell that he would let the boy turn into that.

"Sadly, I can't explode you into bits with the rest of them." The ghost sighed in mock disappointment. "My bratty younger self needs you alive for me to come into existence. It really is a shame. I guess I'll have to settle for-"

" _Hey old man!_ " A familiar voice called. "Ready for a blast from your past?"

A black and white blur zipped through the air, a glowing fist aimed directly at the other black-and-white-clad ghost. With a mighty wham, Future-Danny was punched back into the side of a nearby building.

"Impeccable timing, Daniel." Vlad said in relief once the ghost had been dealt with, for a few seconds, at least.

"Thanks for fighting _this jerk_ while I was gone." The boy rolled his eyes, looking pointedly at the ticked ghost approaching them.

"You won't have that tone once everyone you love dies!" Dan laughed evilly. "It's only a matter of time." He blasted Vlad back a dozen feet and lifted up his younger self by the jumpsuit.

"I guess I underestimated you." Future-Danny hissed, his enraged red eyes glaring straight into equally-as-furious green. Danny kicked and punched and squirmed in the other ghost's grip, but every movement made the cold hand clench tighter and tighter around his chest.

"What are you going to do, waste me?" The boy asked threateningly, ceasing his useless thrashing around. "What happens to _you_ then?"

"You don't get it, do ya?" Dan asked, a mock expression of pity on his blue face, and he blatantly ignored the ticked-off Vlad that was advancing. The future ghost got right in his younger self's face, "I'm _still here!_ I _still exist!_ That means _you_ still turn into _me_." For a split second a look of horror and helplessness appeared on younger-Danny's face, until his captor was unexpectedly overshadowed.

Dan let go of the boy's jumpsuit, screaming in rage as he held his head, and his red eyes flashed different shades as he mentally fought off the invader.

Danny recovered from his encounter and looked over to see his mentor smirking at the screaming, outraged ghost.

"A duplicate?" The boy questioned, grinning knowingly despite the tight feeling in his chest from what his older self had said.

"Yep." The man answered with a satisfied smirk, and he created a few more duplicates to keep Dan occupied.

The two halfas quickly flew over to the trapped humans. The heat dial was shakily but steadily inching toward the red, indicating that their time was running out.

Both half-ghosts began frantically pulling on the green bonds, but nothing seemed to lessen their tight hold on the six hostages.

Now that Danny Phantom was near his shocked family, he grimaced at their obviously-fearful expressions.

"Don't worry, I won't turn into that. _Ever_. I promise." He said, truth and determination ringing through his voice. "And I'm guessing this sort of explains my periodic absences, huh?" He grinned sheepishly at his flustered teacher.

"We don't have the power to get rid of this." Vlad muttered, ignoring the boy's pitiful attempt at conversation and glaring down at the sticky green ectoplasm. "Only the creator can dissolve it."

"So we have to catch him off guard then?" Danny replied uneasily. That would be difficult to do.

"Or better unconscious." The older half ghost said with a smirk, the boy returning the expression.

"Are you two having fun over here realizing that their deaths are inevitable?" Dan grabbed both halfas by the neck and yanked them up into the air. It seemed he had dealt with Vlad's duplicates, and he now looked even more angry than before.

"You realize that I don't have to beat you, right?" He growled at the two half-ghosts, glaring pointedly at his younger self. "I just have to run out the clock until your entire life falls apart!" Danny peered fearfully over to the boiling vats of sauce, that had started to steam from the increased heat. His ghost-core jumped into his throat as he realized that Dan was right; the future ghost didn't have to defeat the two half-ghosts. He just had to keep them occupied until the Nasty Burger went up in flames!

A pink glow lit up in the corner of the younger halfa's vision, and the two half-ghosts were released from Dan's grip as he screeched in pain from the intense ghost-stinger shock. Red eyes glowed with hate as the ghost took a familiar deep breath.

"Look out!" Danny forcefully shoved the older ghost beside him, propelling them to some ground cover below.

A painfully loud, echoing roar filled the air, green waves of energy plowing down everything in their path. The two retreating half-ghosts were forcefully blown back into nearby structures by the ear-splitting wail.

Once the sound had drawn to a close, Dan floated over triumphantly, his fanged grin showing how proud he was of his new destructive attack.

"Do ya like it, Vladdie? I call it my _Ghostly Wail_." The black-haired ghost glared hatefully back at the speaker. "I'm afraid teenage-me here won't get that power until ten years from now. It's only real use is demolishing entire cities, after all."

With a simultaneous look to each other, two half-ghosts sprang forward and attacked in unison, knocking future-Danny back with alternate shots of pink and green.

The ghost from the future hit the asphalt, hissing angrily at his attackers. In front of their eyes, four more Dan's came into existence, all wearing the same expression of fury. Vlad and Danny followed in suit, and soon the air was filled with fighting duplicates.

One by one, each ghost popped out of existence, until only the three originals remained, facing each other across the concrete. The skirmish had not been in vain; Danny had a plan, and Dan had unknowingly gotten right into position.

"Get behind me." Danny almost seemed to growl to the older half-ghost beside him, green eyes lighting up in an anger that rivaled his future self's. "And cover your ears."

Vlad blinked in confusion at the strange request but moved to be behind the boy's lean, beat-up form, completely trusting in Phantom's order. Only a few dozen feet away, Dan was glaring ominously at the two half-ghosts, his hands glowing in preparation for his next attack.

Danny dug his boots into the road below and took the deepest breath he could muster. The weird feeling in the back of his throat grew and grew as the boy forced out the air as a Ghostly Wail, just as powerful as his future self's.

Unbelievably loud, almost painful noise began, traveling with visible green waves of energy. Nearby cars were blown back, flying through the air for several seconds before crashing into buildings and other cars. Foundations cracked, and lightposts fell over from the ear-splitting force. The earth seemed to shake as the wall of noise echoed through the air.

By the time the incredible sound had died out, Dan had been forcefully thrown into the asphalt dozens of feet away, with various debris and chunks of concrete surrounding him.

"That _power!_ " The future ghost sputtered in shock, staring at his younger self as the two half-ghosts approached. "That's not possible! I don't get that power until ten years from now!" For the first time during the fight, an expression of fear was visible on the ghost's face.

"I guess, the future, isn't as set in stone as you think it is." Danny replied darkly, panting from his taxing assault from only seconds before, and he continued to glare despite his exhaustion. His mentor floated up behind, just as surprised as Dan was, but smiling proudly nonetheless.

Since the powerful ghost from the future was still down and distracted, Danny took another deep breath and repeated his new attack, the green energy blasting forward through the air for the third time that day in Amity Park.

At such a short distance, Dan received the brunt of the attack, and he was knocked back into an abandoned building with a loud crash. A large, dented car followed a similar path, and the second impact caused the walls and ceiling to cave in, hopefully giving the future ghost some considerable damage.

Phantom coughed violently as the loud Wail ended, dropping to his knees as twin rings of light forced him back into his human form. Vlad looked down concernedly at the tired half-ghost, but remained upright and ready to defend against Dan should he launch another offensive.

After a few seconds of heavy breathing, the boy rose to his feet again, struggling to pull out his empty Fenton Thermos. Vlad took it gently from his hands and aimed it at the slowly emerging Dan, who was shoving aside rubble and looking worse for wear. His flaming hair had nearly sputtered out, and his suit was ripped in many places, revealing burns and scrapes from both the battle and his unpleasant encounter with the building.

The ghost's evil red eyes shot his adversaries a final glare before his form was stretched out and sucked into the containment unit in a flash of blue.

"Your family can't escape!" The ghost growled pathetically. "And you're too late to save them!" His voice died out as Vlad capped the thermos tightly, glaring at the metal compartment, and by extension the vile ghost inside of it.

Gasping, the two halfas processed Dan's final words. Behind them, whistling steam shot up from the Nasty Burger.

"No!" Danny shouted, another bout of coughing following his exclamation. He shakily stood up, and a white hoop flickered to visibly, but died out just as quickly.

"No, don't overexert yourself." Vlad said sternly, several duplicates appearing beside him and zipping towards the restaurant. "Don't worry. I'll handle this."

The man peered in worry at the half-destroyed building in the distance, frowning as he sensed his duplicates having the same trouble as earlier. Dan's imprisonment inside the thermos hadn't loosened the ectoplasm's hold on the trapped humans, like Vlad had hoped.

Suddenly the man seemed to have an idea. "Danny! Your ice! You could freeze the vat before it explodes!"

Danny's light blue eyes widened in realization, and he frantically attempted transforming once again, just to witness the same result. He dug deep within him, searching anywhere for the familiar cold of his ice-core, pleading for his powers to save the ones he loved.

To his panicked dismay, it was nowhere to be found.

The currently-human boy felt his heartbeat racing in his chest as he futilely tried to access his fickle ice powers. He felt the older half-ghost beside him tense, and in haste the man prepared to fly off and join his copies in a last effort to save the trapped humans. But to his surprise, the boy's shaking hand halted him.

"Please... I don't want to lose you too." A rasping voice whispered, sounding defeated already.

Only a few fleeting seconds later, an orangey red explosion reflected in glistening, horrified blue eyes, and the two halfas were blown back from the force of the explosion. Despite his shock and deafness from the abrupt explosion, the red-eyed ghost wrapped the other in a protective embrace, swiftly turning them both intangible as shrapnel and debris sliced through the air.

As quickly as the explosion had happened, time slowed down to a halt. The fire became thousands of still, fragile tongues licking the sky, and ash and dust floated motionlessly. The two intangible forms were frozen mid-flight. In the blink of an eye, the chaos had been replaced with still, peaceful silence.

A glowing clock-like form winked into existence, and when it faded away, the Ghost of Time had materialized in its place.

The purple-cloaked ghost floated purposefully toward the motionless figures, and in a fluid motion, shining time medallions were placed around their necks. Simultaneous gasps of air broke the silence, and both half-ghosts flailed in alarm at the unusual feeling of being frozen in midair.

Once they had gathered their bearings, both sets of eyes widened at the glowing form in front of them.

" _Clockwork?!_ " Danny and Vlad exclaimed in surprise, and then shared a confused and bewildered look with each other.

"It is an honor to meet your acquaintance." The older ghost-hybrid said breathlessly, dipping his head in an awkward half-bow.

"Thank you Vladimir, but there are no need for the formalities." The Ghost of Time answered sensibly, smiling a bit at the older halfa's dumbfounded expression. Switching into his child-like form, Clockwork looked to the blue-eyed boy, who's panicked expression showed that he had just begun to realize the gravity of the situation. "And hello again, Daniel. Do not worry, everything has gone according to plan." The Ghost of Time became his middle-aged form again and floated aside to reveal a group of floating figures, suspended in the air not unlike how the Danny and Vlad had been, and to the boy's relief they appeared completely unharmed.

Danny gasped upon seeing his family and friends, safe and sound. "You-you saved them!" His voice was filled emotion as tears began to gather in his eyes.

Clockwork appeared almost surprised when the human boy rushed forward and enveloped the Ancient in a hug. " _Thank-you thank-you thank-you!_ " The boy pulled away after a few moments and wiped away the few escaping tears. He floated closer to his saved loved ones, smiling in relief at the sight.

He felt an arm drape over his shoulder, and shakily he allowed the only other existing halfa beside him to pull him close.

He had come so close to losing everyone he cared about, and he hadn't been strong enough to save them on his own. But, he didn't have to face it alone. His friends, Sam and Tucker, remained beside him every day fighting ghosts alongside and helping in any way they could. Vlad had been right by his side the whole time, too. And now Clockwork had been there for him, and the Master of Time had saved Danny's family and friends from destruction.

"The Observants watch time like they're watching a parade." Clockwork wisely began to explain, referring to the council of Observants that assisted him as he overlooked the time stream. "One thing after another, passing by in sequence right in front of them. I see the parade from above... all the twists and turns it might, or might not, take."

"You knew all of this was going to happen." Danny muttered quietly, smiling and shaking his head in disbelief. "All of it! Even this!" He gestured to his family and friends, still suspended in mid-air.

"Everything's the way it's supposed to be, and here we are, with you, a fourteen-year-old child, risking everything to save the people you care about. And also with you," the ghost addressed Vlad, "not related by blood, and not always appreciated as you should be, but still doing everything in your power to protect Danny and his family, no matter what it costs you."

The two half-ghosts smiled thankfully at the unexpected compliments, and then listened again as the Ghost of Time continued.

"The other Ancients and I have been watching the two of you closely for some time now." The Ghost of Time switched into his oldest form, complete with a long, glowing white beard. "You both have great power and a huge responsibility on your shoulders. You are the connection between the worlds, the ones in the middle that have the ability to testify for both ghosts and humans alike."

Danny and Vlad shared a silent, awestruck look at the Ancient's words.

"As you are probably aware, you are both gifted with immense power, and it is very important that you remain devoted to protecting both the Earth and the Ghost Zone from whatever may pose a threat. And so far, the other Ancients and I have not been disappointed by your efforts." The ghost nodded contentedly to the quiet forms in front of him, simultaneously becoming his middle-aged form once again. "But of course, we will continue to keep an eye on you two." The ghost winked and morphed into his youngest form.

" _Time in!_ " Before either of the two half-ghosts could respond, the three forms were swallowed in a wall of light. They opened their eyes to see Mr. Lancer's classroom, frozen in time during the morning of the C.A.T.

"You've given everyone else in your life a second chance... why not you?" The Ghost of Time asked with a wise smile and handed the test answers to the boy in front of him.

Danny smiled gratefully at the Ancient, before he was frozen in time just like the rest of his classmates.

"He is destined for great things." Clockwork said aloud, once only the Ghost of Time and eldest half-ghost remained aware.

Vlad nodded in agreement.

"Sometimes I worry that I'm not doing the right thing, by training him." The halfa explained with a sigh. "He deserves more than what I can give."

"Daniel does not need a ghost that may be more skilled in his abilities." Clockwork paused, a wise twinkle glinting in his eyes. "He needs a ghost he can trust, and who trusts him in return. He needs you, Vladimir. Do not be discouraged; you're doing just fine."

The black-haired ghost smiled gratefully in response, waiting a few seconds before replying. "Thank you, for everything. On both of our behalves."

The Ancient nodded understandingly to the remaining halfa, and with a wave of the cloaked ghost's hand, the two ghosts were teleported to the front of the school, where Vlad could be when time started up again.

"Will we get to see you again?" Vlad asked the Ghost of Time with a hopeful tone, interjecting before the ghost would let time run its course again.

The ghost's knowing smile was the only answer the half-ghost needed.

" _Time in!_ "

* * *

The mid-morning sun shone brightly in the sky, signifying that time had indeed been reversed to the prior morning. Vlad lounged contentedly on the school's front steps, waiting to ensure that everything turned out all right after the biggest fiasco since Pariah Dark.

Luckily for him, the streets and sidewalks seemed to be abandoned, except for the occasional passing car. He couldn't imagine how many strange looks he would be getting if people had been around; it wasn't very often that a billionaire such as himself was spotted in small towns like Amity Park.

He was startled out of his thoughts by the distinct sound of a door opening. He peered around, and the sight of a familiar black-haired teenager confirmed his suspicions.

"Done already?"

"Not exactly. I have to come back next week for the make-up test." Danny explained sheepishly and sat down on the school steps beside the other halfa. "If Clockwork hadn't interfered, I may have actually cheated. Ugh, that was a lot to go through just because I almost made one stupid mistake."

"Lucky for you, the Ancient Ghost of Time seems to favor you." Vlad teased and ruffled the boy's messy black hair. "You learned a valuable lesson, right?"

"Yes; cheating ultimately leads to everyone you love dying in an explosion caused by a huge fight with your evil future self and-" he was silenced by a sarcastic look from the man beside him. Danny chuckled, "All right, maybe that wasn't the point. I won't even _think_ about cheating on anything, ever again."

Vlad smiled approvingly at the boy next to him, before they were interrupted by a certain orange-haired sister, who was the next to emerge from the school.

"Vlad Masters? I didn't think you'd be here." Jazz commented curiously upon seeing the billionaire.

"Oh, hello Jasmine." The man greeted. "I thought I'd drop by. I figured that the famous ' _cheesehead-former-mentor_ ' had better be here to make sure a certain student of his doesn't become a problem child." Danny rolled his eyes and elbowed the man beside him in annoyance.

Jazz's eyes widened almost comically, and she looked back and forth between the two half-ghosts. "H-how did you know that?"

Vlad waved it off and stood up. "It's not important. I'd better go, I have important... _business-y_ things to do."

"See ya later then, Fruitloop."

"Likewise, Badger." The man looked around cautiously for any other witnesses. Upon seeing none, he swiftly morphed into his ghost half and disappeared in a swirl of pink light.

Jazz simply stared in major confusion at the events that had just unfolded before her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Danny grinned at his dumbfounded sister. "Hey, we know you already know. I got that note with _your_ handwriting, and _your_ headband, remember?"

"It-it worked...?" She wondered aloud. "But I just... and I... _what?!_ "

The boy laughed a bit at his sister's reaction.

"So... how long have you known?" He questioned once his sister had gotten over her mass confusion and sat down in Vlad's place.

She shrugged sheepishly. "Since the spectra thing. I didn't want to tell you until you wanted to tell me. It's your secret, after all."

"Well, it's our secret now." He grinned at his sister, and Jazz pulled him into a brief hug.

"Don't think this means I'll stop being meddling and overprotective." The teenage psychiatrist warned her brother, meriting a chuckle from the halfa beside her.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

 **Ahhh the feels... I hope it was worth the wait! I realize I could have changed up the plotline a bit more, but oh well. More chapters are in the works! I'm not making any promises about when the next update will be... But stay tuned! I have plenty in store! :)**

 **As always, thanks so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!**

 **-Specter14**


	13. Secret Confessions

**Hello all you beautiful people! :D (props for those who know that reference lol)**

 **Wow look! I'm back after only 2 months with a super long filler! :'D Amazing right? I didn't intend for it to be this long, and sorry if it bores you to sleep but... I got a lot of stuff/characters up to date now in terms of their opinions about stuff. So that's good. Yay.**

 **If you didn't notice I did go though and edit the earliest chapters, just to make them sound a bit better. Not much else changed beside rewording and fixing some minor plot holes, so you don't have to reread them unless you want to...**

 **Thanks for these people for faving/following since last chapter: DanixDP213, Starlow321, sabri10chase, Twisted Mystique, battle manga, AstroGravity Phan, Novus Maximus, Fullmetal spike97, MargarethMidori chan, Urufu Fire, Allcoolnamesaretaken, Sonozaki Mion, Bookworm5556, CheesyBlueberry, Sally B. Mcgill, YokaiAngel, AsRiver, Roxy Emeralds, TerrorofDeathHaseo666, Dekei, Poosa-ard, DaringDinkyDo, Silvercoal, cassjo, obsessive360, catfire5, ThePaintedHand, candydemon124, Shiyuki791, EzLMG15, movielover9, ANONIMO JR, ZackiBrownie, Lennex MacDuff, Star-The-Writer, KatharinetheQuene, myfanfictionemail0, Lulupatacrepon, and redrovaredrova. JESUS THAT WAS A LOT! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! :D I apologize if I missed anyone, at this point I'm only relying on the alert emails, instead of checking the list...**

 **Thank you to those who commented: AndiKaneUnderwood, Invader Johnny, Shadowwwww, AstroGravity Phan, Commander M2, vampireharry the 2, Kimera20, mikaela2015, memmek10k, angelvan105, and Roxy Emeralds. It's amazing getting so much feedback! So thank you guys!**

 **And lastly special thanks to those who followed/faved me as an author: Bookworm5556, animaldoctor, catfire5, and EzLMG15! I don't even know the total now but it doesn't matter, thanks so much! :)**

 **Anyway let's get into it! This is based off of Secret Weapons (hence the stupid title) but barely anything's the same. Pretty much just the first scene and a few references here and there. Anyway enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the show Danny Phantom; I only own my portion of the plot! (even though this chapter barely has any plot lol). Also I don't own the quote used later, which belongs to Joseph Addison.**

* * *

 **Secret Confessions**

Sam yawned as she exited the movie theater, her mind swimming with thoughts about the three movie marathon she had just watched. The sky had already darkened to a navy blue, the girl noticed, contrasting with the light blue hue it had been before entering the building.

It hadn't been as much as a week since the Nasty Burger exploded, and things were finally getting back to normal in the town of Amity Park. Well, only as normal as possible in a town infested with ghosts could get, of course.

Her friend Tucker was on her right side smiling contently, and while there appeared to be no one to her left, she knew that Danny was there invisibly, hiding from his overprotective, psychology-loving sister. Yes, invisibly; her best friend was half-ghost, one of the only two in the world, in fact.

Ah, Danny. He was so _selfless_ , and _funny_ , and _kind_ , and-

Sam blinked and internally shook her head. She was getting too ahead of herself... she and the hero/public enemy of Amity Park were _just friends_. That was it. Nothing else to it. And Danny was so clueless anyway, that he _had_ to be the only one who didn't notice her true feelings.

"I can't believe we sat through all three Cyber-Zombie Commando movies." The goth stated, expertly masking the other thoughts in her head as she had done for years.

"I coulda used a little less _zombie_ and a little more _cyber_ ," the techno-geek said with a shrug, "but that's me. I'm all about the cyber." He grinned at the thought of his precious technology.

Sam looked around, and upon seeing no bright orange head of hair (and also no other witnesses in sight), she called out, "Coast is clear, Danny."

"Sweet." A voice echoed in her left ear, and the black-haired teenage halfa became visible in the blink of an eye. "No sign of Jazz?" He questioned cautiously, referring to his annoying older sister.

"No sign of Jazz." The goth repeated back, smiling knowingly at her friend.

"Good." Danny breathed a sigh of relief, looking around briefly for any listeners before continuing. "Ever since Jazz found out I've been fighting ghosts, she's been kinda-"

He was interrupted by a loud engine, and a red convertible screeched up beside the movie theatre with no other than the aqua-eyed girl inside.

Before the youngest Fenton could do as much as move, he was tackled into the nearest brick wall by his sister.

"Pushy," he grumbled, grimacing as a bruise from an earlier ghost fight started throbbing.

"Danny, _are you okay?!_ " The orange-haired girl demanded, shoving a metallic thermos with green highlights into her brother's arms. "You know you should never leave the house without a Fenton Thermos!" She lowered her voice, looking around suspiciously. "What if there's a ghost around?"

"You mean other than Danny?" Tucker asked smartly, earning a kick from the purple-eyed girl next to him.

"There's no ghost around!" The halfa assured his sister in annoyance, ignoring the last comment. "And if there _was_ , my ghost sense would go off!" Just as usual, irony decided to make an appearance as a breath of icy air dissolved into the evening air.

"Like that?" Jazz asked, crossing her arms confidently when she realized that she was right. The siblings shared a glare before their gazes were drawn to a glowing form flying through the sky, lit up with a Mohawk of green flames.

"Skulker? He's hunting you again?" The techno-geek exclaimed, reaching a hand into his pocket for his trusty PDA in case the hunter needed to pay another visit to a purple-backed gorilla.

" _Again?!_ As in more than once?" The oldest teenager gasped, shooting a deeply concerned look to her brother.

"Jazz, take it easy. There's a rhythm to these things!" Danny rolled his eyes knowingly, raising a hand in preparation to count the steps he was about to list. "The ghost attacks, we exchange witty banter, I kick ghost butt, and we all go home having learned a valuable lesson about _honesty_ or some such nonsense..." He explained with a smirk, raising an eyebrow when his sister whipped out a notepad.

"Attack, banter, kick butt, lesson. Got it." She muttered, furiously scribbling on the paper, just in time for the ghost to approach the group with a sneer.

Danny looked up just in time to see a glowing net fly straight towards him and his friends, and thinking fast, he shot a quick ecto-beam to knock it aside. "I gotta go. You guys get to safety, I've got this."

"Are you sure you don't need Britney and I to-"

"No, Tucker, I think I'll be fine." The blue-eyed boy said and smiled in thanks, looking around one more time for onlookers before taking off at a run, transforming in mid-air into Phantom.

Sam and the two others watched their friend shoot up into the air, expertly dodging a few attacks before sending his own rays of green light in return, and muffled banter from both ghosts echoing down from the sky.

Without a word, the remaining three got into Jazz's car and began heading after the two glowing forms, their fight moving further and further across the sky as it went on.

"Jazz, did it ever occur to you that Danny's been doing just fine on his own, _without_ your help?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow at the determined driver.

"Exactly, so imagine how much better he'll do with it!" She exclaimed, stepping firmly on the gas pedal and making a dangerously sharp turn to follow Danny and the other ghost.

The two freshmen looked at each other in annoyance, not knowing how to persuade the girl that their friend really could do better when fighting alone, without anyone around that he had to worry about protecting.

Suddenly, the car roughly jerked to a stop, and Jazz's eyes widened as her brother was blasted back dozens of feet through the night sky.

"You just earned a one-way ticket to Thermos-Land, _ghost!_ " The young adult screamed, jumping out of the car and shakily aiming the thermos's light blue beam up at the sky, as Tucker and Sam face-palmed and exited the vehicle as well.

Skulked smirked at the action, easily flying around the Thermos's beam, but the half-ghost wasn't so lucky. Yelling in surprise, he found himself being suctioned back to the ground and crammed into the prison he commonly trapped his enemies in.

The hunter laughed aloud, earning the glares of all three humans. "I can always collect Phantom's pelt another day, but _this_ -" he motioned to the metal thermos giddily. "Seeing him trapped in his own invention? That was worth the loss!" The ghost's rockets lit up, and he zoomed off into the night sky, still cackling to himself as flew off into the night.

Jazz turned around to see her brother's two friends sending her identical accusing glares.

"Think I should work on my banter?" The older teen asked sheepishly, still holding the slightly smoking thermos.

"Start with your aim." Tucker suggested firmly, and Sam grabbed the metal invention out of the other girl's grip to free her friend.

* * *

"Oh, hey Phantom!" Valerie greeted, slowing her hover-board to a stop in midair right above Casper High's football stadium. It was the next night, and Danny was lucky enough to get out of the house without Jazz noticing. For the past day, his sister had interfered with every ghost fight, and her presence hadn't exactly _helped_ things. The younger half-ghost was unfortunately starting to become familiar with the tight, uncomfortable thermos that he was now constantly caught in. He was even beginning to regret sucking his enemies into there, even if they were only trapped for a few hours at most...

Danny brought his attention back to the girl clad in red and black. The two teenage ghost hunters had gotten more friendly with each other over the past few weeks, since Valerie trusted the ghost boy more after the Pariah Dark incident. They even worked out a schedule for who would patrol the town at what time, which proved especially useful for managing a double life like they both had to do.

"Hi, Valerie." Phantom responded, smiling at the huntress and floating up beside her. "So, how have things been for you?"

"Fine." The girl sighed tiredly. "But things aren't getting any easier, especially at school."

"I know what you mean." The ghost boy responded, careful to not say too much about the topic. After all, the girl didn't know that he went to her school (but he was viewed as a normal ghost, so no one knew that he went to school at all), not to mention the crazy coincidence that the two were in the same class.

"You're lucky, Phantom. Ghosts don't have to go to the hell that is high school." The Red Huntress jealously crossed her arms. The green-eyed ghost chuckled and opened his mouth to respond, but the two teenagers were startled out of their conversation when they heard a familiar feminine shout from below.

"Oh no, Danny! It's a ghost hunter!" A certain teenage psychiatrist yelled in panic from the sidewalk, whipping out her favorite ghost weapon. "Don't worry, I'll protect you!"

The ghost boy shot an expression of complete and utter annoyance at the girl floating next to him as he was forcibly sucked into the Fenton Thermos... for the fifth time in twenty-four hours.

Valerie stared in surprise at the shocked orange-haired girl standing below.

"Oh... whoops! Don't worry, I'll get you out of there... eventually!" Jazz said sheepishly to the invention in her hands.

"Hey, be careful where you're aiming that thing! Let Phantom go!" The Red Huntress demanded, maneuvering her hover-board to sink through the air, closer to the young adult on the ground. "Wait... aren't you Danny Fenton's sister? Did you just catch Phantom so he could be ripped apart by your parents?! Give him back!" She demanded furiously, barely resisting the urge to get out a weapon to look more intimidating.

"No, it's _you_ who wants to hurt him, ghost hunter!" The orange-haired girl declared and clutched the thermos to her chest protectively.

Valerie rolled unseen teal eyes and forcibly grabbed the thermos out of the older teenager's grip, firmly pressing the release button. Phantom materialized in a flash of blue light, still wearing a cross expression.

"That was the _fifth. Dang. Time_. You've caught me in that thing." He growled to his sister, his eyes glowing menacingly.

"Ehehe... Sorry..." Jazz apologized sheepishly.

"You two know each other?" Valerie questioned, raising an eyebrow at the other two under her black tinted visor.

"Yes." "No." The two looked at each other and said simultaneously.

"No?" "Yes?"

" _Sorta?_ " The two Fentons finally (and quite awkwardly) agreed on an answer.

The Huntress simply looked on in confusion at the exchange, oblivious to the truth. After a few seconds, she shrugged it off. "Whatever. Here, Ghost Boy." She handed him the thermos, reluctant to give it back to the Fenton who had caught him. "I've gotta get back to my dad before he freaks out at me for being out so late. See you later?"

"Sure. Bye!" The ghost responded with a wave as the red and black hover-board rose higher into the air,

Once Valerie was gone, the half-ghost crossed his arms and glared at his sister once again.

Before the girl could say anything, the glowing boy sighed in an effort to calm down. "Look, Jazz, I know you're trying to help."

" _Trying?_ " The orange-haired teenager questioned, looking slightly offended.

Her brother shot her an apologetic look. "Please don't be offended... but I have it under control. I've been dealing with all these ghosts for months now! And I've never been _alone_. Sam and Tucker have been with me from the beginning, and Vlad helps me out a lot with learning my powers, and Val- _The Red Huntress_ helps out too..." The boy motioned to the disappearing form of the Huntress, and then continued. "What I'm trying to say is, I appreciate that you want to help, but... I just don't want you to get hurt."

The older Fenton's eyes softened. "Danny..."

"Come on, you know how dangerous this is, especially for humans-"

"You say that like you don't consider yourself human!" The girl snapped, tears rushing to her eyes.

"But I'm _not!_ At least, not entirely." His green gaze dropped to the ground, and tense silence followed.

His sister looked at him sadly, guilt reflecting in her eyes.

"But aside from that... Could you try to give me some space? And trust that I can handle things like I have been?" Danny pleaded, frowning when his older sister still wore an unsure expression. " _Please?_ "

"All right..." She responded after a few moments, smiling in return when the ghost shot her a thankful grin. "But please tell me if something's wrong. I want to help you as much as I can... even if fighting isn't my thing."

"Thanks, Jazz." The ghost boy wrapped an arm around her slim form, and the two siblings shared a hug for the first time in several days. "So, would ya like a ride home?"

"Why not- _whoaaa!_ " The girl's response turned into a yell of fright when she was lifted up into the air, quickly ascending until the school was minuscule in the distance. Yellow and white lights shined from windows and headlights far below as the two flew back towards FentonWorks, the bright neon sign clearly visible among the other buildings.

Wide aqua eyes scanned the beautiful view, which was complete with the full moon and stars twinkling in the sky, not a cloud in sight.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" The ghost boy muttered into his sister's ear above the wind, his black ghostly tail smoothly rippling through the night air. He was careful not to fly too fast or too recklessly, not with his sister hanging down so precariously in his grasp.

The ghost boy saw the girl nod, not showing any fear or anxiety at being up so high in the hands of a ghost, the sole thing that her family was dedicated to hunting.

Before long they had reached their home, and the two siblings lightly touched down in front. They stood in silence for a few seconds, Jazz shivering in the chilly night breeze.

"I can see why you love flying so much..." She wistfully commented.

"Yeah..." The ghost responded, not knowing what else to say. He looked around briefly before turning back into his human form in a flash of light. "Let's go in."

* * *

"Hey, Jazz, I'm heading off to Vlad's." Danny announced to his sister's closed door, after a long day of school. "If Mom and Dad ask, I'm at Sam's house. Or, you can come along if you want."

The teenage girl quickly opened her door. "I'd like to come with, if it's okay with you. I already finished all my work."

"Only you would finish all your homework less than an hour after school ends..." The halfa rolled his eyes, smiling knowingly at his sister. "All right, come on then."

Jazz excitedly followed her brother down the stairs to the main level, and the two siblings left a note for their parents, falsely informing that they were out with Danny's friends.

The orange-haired girl looked on in confusion when the half-ghost headed for the basement door. "Where are you going?"

"To the portal..." The boy paused in front of the open door, looking around pointedly at his sister as if she had asked if the sky was green.

"We're going... into the _Ghost Zone?!_ " His sister asked in shock, aqua eyes widening.

"Yeah...?" The boy walked down the stairs, followed by his confused sister. The two approached the closed portal, Danny pausing at the control panel to open it.

"But isn't it dangerous?"

"I'm a ghost, Jazz." He commented dryly at his sister's concern, and the portal's metal doors opened to reveal the usual swirl of green light. "Don't worry, I've been in there tons of times. And I'll protect you if anyone bothers us." Startling his sister, the ring of cold, bright light formed and split into two, turning him into his ghost persona and illuminating the dark lab with supernatural light. He held out a white gloved hand, and hesitantly his sister took it.

The two teenagers phased through the swirling green surface and emerged into the other dimension, Jazz staring in shock and wonder at the weightless atmosphere that was highlighted with hues of green and purple.

"Whoa... this place is amazing! And pretty spooky." The teenage girl shivered a little in the ghost's cold grip.

"Sorry, I know I'm cold." He apologized sheepishly, earning a forgiving smile from the orange-haired girl, and within seconds the two began their trip through the zone. "Fun fact, I made ghost ice a couple times a few months ago, but I haven't been able to since."

"Really?" Jazz reached a hand around to her purse and pulled out a notepad. "That's interesting..." She scribbled down something.

"Seriously?" Phantom muttered, shaking his head. "Stop taking notes on me, would ya?"

"But I need to understand the anomaly that is my half-ghost teenage brother!" Jazz exclaimed, continuing to write stuff down as the halfa scoffed at her response.

Within only a few minutes of flying through the strange world, they reached the only other permanent portal.

"Whoa, are we already here?" The girl said in surprise. "In Wisconsin?"

"Well, the Ghost Zone treats distance differently. Somehow our portals are much closer through the zone than on Earth." He shrugged. "I dunno, we never really questioned it."

The older sibling nodded and wrote down something else on her notepad.

"Oh, something else. Please spare Vlad from your invasive personal questions."

"But _Danny_ -"

"And that includes psycho-analyzing him!" The ghost boy said forcefully, interrupting whatever excuse his sister had thought of.

"Okay, okay, I get it!" The older teenager muttered, rolling her eyes. "And I wasn't planning to do those things, for the record."

"Good." Content with his sister's assurance, Danny didn't even blink as he brought his sister through the swirling gateway once again, emerging into the familiar lab in Wisconsin. Jazz stiffened as a breath of icy air blew past her, not yet completely used to witnessing her brother's powers at work.

The half-ghost gently lowered the girl to the floor so she could stand on her own. The orange-haired teenager looked around in curiosity at the similar surroundings as the FentonWorks lab.

"I've never been down here before..." The girl commented, observing the clean, shiny lab tables and organized cabinets throughout the room.

"Yeah, it has a secret entrance so people don't wander down here on accident." The boy explained with a shrug, his ghostly tail fluidly reforming into legs.

"So, where is he?"

"Probably upstairs somewhere. He definitely knows I'm here." When the girl peered at him questioningly, he explained further. "He has a ghost sense, too. We have a lot of similar powers."

"Hmm..." She added to her notes, aqua eyes narrowing in concentration.

"Come on." The ghost held out a hand again, and once the other teenager took it, the pair floated up through the high ceiling intangibly. The teenage psychiatrist shuddered at the strange, tingling feeling, watching in a mix of fear and fascination as she was lifted up through a very much solid surface.

She noticed in surprise that a white cat stared curiously at the two teenagers as they rose up through the wooden floor.

"Oh hello there, kitty!" Jazz exclaimed in surprise once she stood on solid ground again, kneeling down and letting the animal sniff her hand. "Wait, is this cat a ghost?" She stiffened when she noticed the cat's clearly translucent form.

"Yep. Her name is Eleanor." The yellow-eyed feline meowed in response to her name and plodded over to rub up against Danny's legs. "We found her in the Ghost Zone once, and she followed us back."

Eleanor purred and let the human teenager stroke a hand down her back, her bright yellow eyes sparkling contently.

"Hey Fruitloop, where art thou?" The ghost boy called through the house. The older Fenton sibling stood back up as the ghost boy floated casually across the green and yellow room, disappearing from sight through an open doorway.

Just then, a glowing form phased through the wall next to Jazz, causing her to jump back at the unexpected entrance.

"Oh... hi, there!" She greeted awkwardly, automatically feeling more at ease when the ghost responded with a smile.

"Looks like my prediction was correct, you did come along." He didn't even flinch as the glowing cat jumped up into his arms, her purrs rising in volume. "Welcome back, and make yourself at home-"

Just then, Phantom phased through a wall holding a chocolate chip cookie, contently munching on another and not noticing the three pairs of eyes that had focused on him.

"These are really good." He commented, taking a big bite of the one in his hand and munching contently.

"How did you find them this time?" The older half ghost asked in amusement.

"What can I say? I guess I've learned a few things from Tucker when it comes to finding food." He finished the dessert and licked the crumbs off his lips and gloved fingers. "Plus, this is the one of the only places where I don't have to worry about being attacked by whatever failed ectoplasmic experiment is in the kitchen, so cut me some slack here."

The red-eyed ghost raised an inquiring eyebrow at the two teenagers, who both shook their heads, ' _you don't want to know_ ,' and ' _it's a long story_ ' both conveyed in two equally traumatized expressions.

"... All right then, I'm not even going to ask." The man muttered. "By now I've learned not to."

"That's probably for the best." Danny agreed with a snicker, and the two floated down a hallway like they'd done it a hundred times before. Jazz blinked and followed behind, eyes scanning around curiously.

"Whoa..." The girl gaped upon seeing a tall, door-less entrance leading into a massive library. "Look at all these books!" She borderline sprinted to the closest bookcase, fervently scanning through the titles. "How did I not notice this before?!"

"Oh boy, she'll be in here for hours now." The white-haired ghost rolled his eyes and cast an annoyed look towards the other halfa.

"You know what they say. ' _Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body._ '"

"... That's the cheesiest thing I've ever heard you say. And you've said some pretty weird things."

"Why, thank you." The man smirked, and Danny rolled his green eyes at the sarcastic response.

"So, we could go do something while Little Miss Bookworm here reads to her heart's content." The white-haired ghost motioned to her sister, who looked up from a book to mock-glare at the nickname.

The older hybrid paused uneasily before responding, "Well, after what happened last week I thought you might want a break from the usual, but we can do whatever you want."

"Actually," the boy spoke up, one hand raising to rub the back of his neck, "a break would be nice, now that I think about it." Vlad just then noticed the poorly masked exhaustion in the younger halfa's expression.

"Of course." The man answered sympathetically and let the black rings change his form to human, Phantom following in suit. The two continued down the hall, leaving the curious psychiatrist behind in the library, until they emerged into the main room. A matching group of brown, puffy leather couches and armchairs sat angled in front of a large flatscreen TV, which was left turned on from earlier in the day.

"So... things sizzled down after last week?" The man asked cautiously after sitting down. Quiet commercials sounded in the background, the bright colors flashing distractingly.

Danny plopped down beside, gaze boredly fixated on the television as he nodded. His arms were crossed across his chest in a self-hug, showing reluctance to elaborate.

A few moments of comfortable silence passed, as two similar sets of eyes were drawn to the TV.

"There's something that you need to know..."

Vlad peered over silently at the boy beside him, feeling an odd combination of concern and curiosity. The pair of haunted ice blue eyes shifted down from the screen, focusing tiredly on the carpet.

"You don't have to say anything if you don't want to."

"I need to." The younger hybrid responded to the man's gentle statement and took a deep breath.

Before he could lose his nerve, the story began spilling out, starting with when he and his friends had been attacked by Box Lunch, the future kid of the Lunch Lady and Box Ghost (who, unknown to Danny at the time, had actually been sent by Clockwork). How he had accidentally acquired the answers to the C.A.T. from his teacher's briefcase by going intangible through it, and then shamefully telling how he had actually considered cheating on the big test. How Danny and his friends had later been mistakenly teleported to the Time Ghost's lair, and how the trio had seen Dan for the first time through a screen that showed the future, and witnessed his newfound Ghostly Wail that had the potential to bring down buildings. Then the first time meeting Clockwork, and getting clobbered by the Master of Time in a one-sided fight. And then how the three teenagers were forced into a portal that took them to the future, soon finding themselves surrounded by what remained of Amity, and meeting the future Valerie who still remained faithfully protecting her city.

The black-haired teenager's voice trembled as he described his first confrontation with his future self, and his fear when Sam and Tucker had almost been killed, and finally his overwhelming relief when they had escaped just in time by taking off their time medallions.

The story continued with how Dark Dan had then also learned of the loophole, and the future ghost had fused Danny's own medallion inside of him, rendering him unable to return to the past. The younger halfa explained getting cast into the future Ghost Zone, and being assaulted by his future enemies as revenge for things he had never done, eventually forcing him to use the Wail for the first time, ten years ahead of schedule.

The tale went on with receiving the message from Jazz, and seeking out future-Vlad for help. And soon after, learning what caused the horrible future to happen in the first place, which led to the younger hybrid's meek revelation of how Dan had actually come to be. Then shakily explaining that the boy's own human self had been the first victim of the ghost fusion, and many more had followed in the ten years that succeeded. The narrative quietly drew to a close with how he had finally gotten back to his own time with the future-billionaire's help, just in time to join the fight against Dan in the present.

Deathly quiet silence followed, broken only by the softly purring white cat snuggling up against the teenage halfa's side in an attempt to comfort him, and the muted sounds from the TV, which hadn't ceased flickering between ads.

The boy didn't even realize that he was crying until a gentle finger brushed across his cheek, catching an escaping tear.

"Oh jeez..." He scrubbed a knuckle across his eyes. "And here I am crying like a baby." The boy made a sound somewhere between a sob and a laugh. "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for." The man responded, carefully disguising the whirling emotions inside his head. A tissue box floated over, surrounded by purplish-pink light. "Here."

"Thanks." Danny hoped his face wasn't as red as it felt as he gratefully grabbed hold of the box.

"You've been through so much." The older half-ghost sighed, shaking his head sadly. "More than any full-grown adult should have to experience... much less someone as young as you."

The teenager shrugged, not meeting the older male's eyes as he wiped his eyes. He turned his attention to the vibrating cat that had moved to lay across his lap, stroking a hand through the silky white fur.

They sat in silence again, the TV continuing into regularly scheduled programming, which was some reality show that neither cared for.

It wasn't long before the bored billionaire felt a weight against his shoulder, and his eyes darted over to see a very exhausted Danny.

"Looks like someone's getting tired." The man teased.

The youngest Fenton hummed in agreement, his shoulders twitching slightly in a half-shrug. "I guess I haven't gotten much sleep lately."

"Oh, you poor thing." Vlad commented, only a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"I appreciate your overwhelming concern for my well-being."

The man chuckled, delicately shifting his arm to wrap around the other halfa in a loose embrace. "You're very welcome."

" _Mmhmm_." The teenager drowsily let his eyes close, comforting warmth concealing the usual coldness that always burdened him, and for the first time in months he felt truly safe.

* * *

Finally... he was alone with his thoughts.

Well, not completely alone, he was reminded by the cold presence nestled up beside him, and the painstakingly slow, steady breathing that was distinctly picked up by his enhanced hearing.

But no matter. Vlad had learned to appreciate any company he had, after being completely and utterly alone for so long.

He couldn't help feeling incredibly mixed emotions about the terrible, but luckily no-longer-likely future. Danny may have been powerful, and quite mature for his age (at least most of the time) but that didn't change the fact that he was still a kid. A kid that had never asked to be thrust into a world of dangerous supernatural beings, violence, and deception. A kid that was constantly burdened with the responsibility of protecting a whole town of people from malevolent creatures that most didn't even believe existed. And above all, a kid that definitely didn't deserve anything as horrible as what he had experienced a few days before.

And the boy's parents were completely oblivious to what they had done, to both their own son and Vlad himself.

However, he knew deep down that the Fentons could never have foreseen the effect of their inventions, which happened to be the creation of not one, but two half-ghost-half-human hybrids. Even Vlad could admit that it wasn't entirely their fault.

But if anyone was to blame, it would definitely be _Jack_.

The man blew out a breath of air, forcing his thoughts back to the future timeline. If such an idea was proposed a few weeks before, the halfa would have considered the very idea ridiculous. Young, innocent Danny unintentionally causing the death of everyone he loved, and then brutally terrorizing the world for fun and laughs? It sounded completely insane.

But it had happened. For some messed up reason, reality had decided to ruthlessly punish the most undeserving person it could find.

And there was also Vlad's own involvement to blame. Indirectly, he had caused the whole thing by simply being there. Would the younger halfa still have become Dan if the two ghost halves hadn't... _fused_ (as disturbing as that still sounded...)?

Among ghosts, "fusing" was rare, though not unheard of. Thanks to the lack of definite physical properties in ghosts, things like overshadowing, intangibility, and even an unusual kind of fusion was an option. A major downside of the latter action was the irreversible effects, which happened to be the permanent binding-together of two beings. The circumstances were rarely bad enough for it to happen, but obviously it was still possible, if only slightly.

Luckily for the two halfas (and the whole world, really), Clockwork had stepped in. He probably wasn't supposed to directly interfere, and his chosen method to change Danny's course of action may have not been the quickest or most convenient, but the Ancient had successfully found a peaceful way to prevent Dan from being created.

Except for the Dan that existed out of time, of course, who was still locked in a Fenton Thermos that was guarded by Clockwork himself. But he was still there. He still existed. And there was no good way to change that.

Surely that fact didn't help things for Danny. Though the timeline was fixed, his evil future self would continue to exist, waiting for the right moment to exact his revenge.

The whole situation was also a painful reminder of Pariah Dark, who's reign had been temporarily halted by a similar prison... _the Sarcophagus_.

What were the chances that Dan would eventually escape, much like the former Ghost King did? Would Danny inevitably have to face the whole situation again?

Vlad sure hoped not, though he admittedly had a bad feeling.

The man stifled a yawn, and he carefully shifted into a more comfortable position, trying his hardest not to wake Danny. He hadn't gotten too much sleep, either, since the whole fiasco. He may have been more used to living on less sleep than the boy was, but that didn't make him any less exhausted after several days of little rest.

With a sigh, he let his eyes close and slowly began to drift, only comforted by the knowledge that Danny was there with him, and out of harm's way.

* * *

Jazz giddily skipped down the hall, carrying a hefty stack of books she had found. She had meticulously scoured the whole library, and there were so many things she had never read before!

Out of the large selection, she was especially drawn to a small shelf of hardback covers that, after further investigation, ever-so-dimly glowed. And every one had to do with ghosts, and was written by a ghost ironically named "the Ghost Writer". Finally, something to help her better understand and assist Danny!

So, she picked out a few in hopes of being allowed to borrow some. She would have to be careful to not let her parents get a hold of them... Things could get dangerous if the two ghost hunters found books from the Ghost Zone in their house, with no good explanation of how they got there...

Shaking herself from her thoughts, Jazz curiously stepped into the room that the two males had gone into.

"Hey Mr. Masters, I was wondering-" The older Fenton sibling halted in the doorway, absently observing the matching furniture and flatscreen, but primarily seeing the two half-ghosts, fast asleep on one of the couches, basically using each other as a pillow.

How long had she been in the library? A glance at a window informed her that it was still daytime, so not much time has passed... it couldn't have even been an hour since the girl had first arrived to the mansion with Phantom.

Jazz silently backed out of the room, secretly relieved that her brother was finally getting some sleep. She didn't know exactly what he had gone through the past week, but it obviously hadn't been pleasant. The orange-haired girl was just glad that his future self was out of the picture, hopefully for good.

Her thoughts shifted to Vlad. At first she had been unsure of his true intentions, but it was obvious that he did sincerely care about her little brother. And since Danny trusted him so intimately, Jazz was positive that she could too.

As she settled back down in the room full of bookshelves to begin scanning "The Ghost Zone: A History," the aqua-eyed girl discovered a new reason to read; to better understand the wondrous, unknown world that her brother was now a part of.

* * *

 **Whew, I'm glad that's over.. For some reason it was really hard for me to figure out how to write the end part. I hope it turned out better than I think it did... xD**

 **Anyway, I'd like to say a huge thank you to whoever is reading this right now, whether you've been with me since chapter 1 or are brand new, whether you review after every chapter or are a silent guest reader, THANK YOU! I would have never gotten this far without so much support. It really kept me going... even though updates have been horrendous... xD I'll try to be better this year, I promise.**

 **ANYWAY i have a little poll for commenters! Two things:**

 **1) Would you like a version of the main Freakshow episode, with Vlad in it somehow? I've been debating writing it for a while, and I haven't started much on it yet, but if it's something people would be interested in I'm happy to do what I can with it! I'm kind of mad about the out-of-order thing, and I'm reluctant to mess around with it since it would mess up the comments... But if enough people would be interested I'd be glad to write it soon!**

 **2) Do you have any other original episode ideas for me? Like situations that would be cool/interesting, or even just little plot bunnies you have? I can always use new ideas for inspiration and such, so please let me know if you think of anything! :) I'll give credit if I use anything!**

 **That's about it folks, next up should be an original chapter I've been working on for a while, then I'll continue with the episode progression. Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :)**


	14. Dueling Doppelgangers

_**"Dueling doppelgangers! Have you lost your half of our mind?!"**_ **-best quote from dp**

 **Wow look at that, another chapter already! xD I bet you weren't expecting that... And the next chapter will definitely take a bit longer. But enjoy this anyway I guess.**

 **Thanks to these people who followed/faved since last chap: Stevonnieandpercabeth, AngelicShade, and Cute Koneko Chan.**

 **Thanks to everyone who commented: Guest, Invader Johnny, NATZUxERZA 123456, AndiKaneUnderwood, TheDragonLegend, jeanette9a, Kimera20, memmek10k, and Commander M2. Thank you for your feedback and ideas also! I'll definitely be able to use them in a future chapter somewhere! :)**

 **And I think I got enough people wanting a Freakshow episode to make one. It may be a few chapters, though, but we'll see.**

 **Anyway here's the chapter and I hope you enjoy! Its another original one... if you don't count the incredibly similar episode of Gravity Falls... Steven Unverse... Jake Long American Dragon... and probably many more... xD Oh well, I hope my version is at least a teeny bit entertaining...**

 **Disclaimer: Danny Phantom and its characters belong to Butch Hartman, plot belongs to me**

* * *

When Vlad heard a very panicked voice scream " _HELP!_ " from his lab, he knew right away that something had gone _very_ wrong.

As quickly as he could, he transformed and sunk through the floor, emerging into the basement in mere seconds. "What happ-?"

" _HIDE ME!_ " Danny Phantom dove behind Plasmius, cowering from the open portal. In shock, the older halfa stared at the gateway, instinctively shifting to a defensive position and wondering in horror what dangerous ghost could possibly be about to enter.

Just then, three identical glowing forms emerged into the room, all glaring with radioactive green eyes and sporting the same snow white hair and monochrome hazmat suits.

"There he is!" The middle Danny shouted with a pointed finger, and the three swiftly got into offensive attack positions.

Vlad got over his shock and shot an accusing look at the shaking boy behind him. "What in the world did you _do?!_ "

" _Nothing!_ " Danny protested, his voice rising to a higher pitch. His ghostly glow was pretty much nonexistent, compared to the usual brightness that surrounded him. Dark circles hung under his tired eyes, the green irises much dimmer than usual.

He looked the most defeated Vlad had ever seen him.

Plasmius raised an eyebrow, and turned his attention back to the angry ghosts, who glared with more malice then the younger halfa had ever shown before. "Everyone just calm down. What happened?"

"I'll tell you what happened." The rightmost Danny growled. "Danny is an incompetent, lazy, undeserving original and he needs to be brought to justice!"

" _What?!_ " The 'original' Danny yelped. "But I-"

"Yeah!" The left duplicate agreed, lighting one fist with green energy. "He treated us like servants and he's terrible at managing his energy! I mean, just look at him!"

The original didn't even bother protesting again, and he flinched sorely at the accusation.

"So since I've been existing the longest, I'll be taking over Danny's position." The middle duplicate smirked, pointing one thumb at himself arrogantly.

"No one is taking over anyone's position." Vlad stated firmly, crossing his arms. "Stop being ridiculous and-"

"You can't tell us what to do!" One Danny shouted rudely.

"Yeah! This doesn't concern you, _Fruitloop!_ "

" _GET 'IM!_ " The lead ghost announced loudly, and the three duplicates shot forward simultaneously, the trembling original yelling in fright as his betrayers prepared to attack once more.

* * *

 _About a week before:_

With a start, Danny was awoken by the familiar icy chill that signaled a ghost's presence. Groaning in annoyance, he tiredly blinked open his blue eyes. He was really hoping to get some actual sleep that night, since he had a test first thing the next morning.

His bed felt _really_ comfortable all of the sudden...

Then a realization popped into his mind. _Oh... what use is knowing how to duplicate if I never use it for anything?_ Feeling pleased with his solution, he let the rings of light pass by just long enough to form a duplicate right by his bed.

"Go fight the ghost, please." Danny commended sleepily, and his clone left through the ceiling without any hesitation. Sighing in bliss, he transformed back and shut his eyes once more, sleep overtaking his thoughts.

* * *

"And, pencils down." The class went from deadly silent to lively in half a second, the sound of pencils being dropped on desks and anxious muttering filling the room.

Danny yawned, briefly wondering how badly he failed that test, but at the same time not bringing himself to care. Despite his full night's sleep, he didn't feel as well-rested as he had expected.

Oh, well, at least he figured out that he could use duplicates more often without problems. Taking a test with constant imagery of flying around and patrolling the town forced into his vision wasn't exactly the _best_ tactic to get an A, but whatever. That was a trade-off he had to make if he wanted to make use of his powers.

"-ello? _Danny?_ "

"Sorry, what?" He blinked out of his thoughts and responded to his best friend Sam's voice.

"You were mega-spacing out there, dude." Tucker explained. "How do you think the test went?"

The halfa shrugged. "Probably bad. I dunno. I'm really tired..." The end of his sentence was interrupted by another yawn.

"Don't tell me you were up all night fighting ghosts, _again?_ " Sam questioned, both in concern and disbelief. "We've told you to just _call us_ , it's not fair that you have to-"

"No, it isn't that. I slept pretty well last night, but for some weird reason, I'm still really tired..."

"That sucks." Tucker said sympathetically, and their conversation was halted by the bell. All the high-schoolers in the room rose from their desks, loudly making their way to the door as they headed for their next class.

* * *

 _Three days later:_

"So, do you have any ideas for the project?" Sam asked curiously, walking alongside her two best guy friends as they headed for the Nasty Burger. Unfortunately, they had been assigned a new group assignment, which had to be either a poster or PowerPoint with a required number of facts and pictures, like most useless high school group projects. Luckily, the students got the freedom to choose their groups and subject to research, so the trio had to admit that it could have been worse.

"Not really." Danny responded tiredly, slight dark rings present under his light blue eyes. "Whatever would be easiest, I guess."

He had maintained a duplicate without pause for days, now, and in that time the two Dannys had gotten a lot accomplished. Basically, one patrolled the city and played the part of Phantom, while the other went to school and slept as Fenton. That way, living the usual double life wasn't as big of a deal. Danny Phantom and Danny Fenton could be separate for once, without having to act as both personas with one body.

"I think we should do it on the historical importance of PDAs-"

"Tucker, we're not doing that." Sam said dryly, causing the techno-geek to pout in disappointment and the half-ghost on her other side to snicker. "How about we research why it's inhumane to torture, kill, and eat the flesh of innocent animals?"

"Sam, I think that's a bit too extreme for a ninth grade classroom." The black-haired boy answered uneasily and opened the door to the fast-food restaurant, letting his friends enter first. "Why can't we just pick an animal and call it a day?"

"I have an idea." Tucker interjected as they claimed an empty booth. "What if we did it on ghosts?" Both of the other teens looked over in surprise, then back at each other.

"How are we going to explain knowing so much, though?" Danny wondered aloud. "Say our excuse was that we interviewed my parents? Then the whole thing'd have to be explaining how every ghost is evil and deserves to be ripped apart ' _molecule by molecule_ ' in ' _lots of painful experiments_ '." He rolled his eyes in annoyance and dropped his gaze to the table he had just sat down at.

"Plus, that might put us, and especially Danny, at risk." The goth added, motioning with one hand to the blue-eyed boy sitting next to her.

"It was just an idea." The brown-skinned teenager shrugged.

Just then, a loud crash sounded from outside, and the usual icy blue mist was exhaled into the air.

The two humans turned their concerned gazes to their half-ghost friend.

"Hey, don't worry, I can still help with brainstorming. I just have to go make another duplicate to take care of that." He stood up from the table. The Phantom duplicate was already dealing with another ghost at the moment, so making another copy seemed like the best solution.

"Are you sure?" Sam asked, not looking very convinced.

"Of course. I'll be back in a sec." The ghost boy walked past the table in the direction of the restroom, and returned less than a minute later, looking even more tired, if that was possible.

"It's taken care of." He muttered, collapsing back into his seat.

Sam and Tucker shared a look.

"Uh... dude, I'm starting to think that making all these duplicates isn't a good-"

"Tucker, it's fine, really." Danny interrupted. "I'm sure Vlad does this all the time! I have to get used to it at some point."

The goth girl's troubled expression didn't waver. "Well, if you're sure..." She returned her attention to the problem at hand, knowing that she wasn't exactly the most qualified to question her friend's ghostly abilities. "We don't need to decide about the project now, since we still have a few days. It's due Friday, right?"

"Yeah, I think so." The techno-geek answered. "Here, I'll use my trusty PDA to plan when we'll work on it. How does tomorrow evening sound?" A few quiet beeps sounded as he began setting the schedule.

San rolled her eyes, scoffing at her friend and his device.

"That's fine, I guess." Danny answered with a shrug, still sounding drowsy. Then he returned his eyes to the table. A drilling headache had started pounding in his head, from the constant flickers of sight from his other four eyes.

"How are your duplicates doing?" The girl wondered aloud, the worried tone returning to her voice.

"Fine... one's..." He squinted a little, "at the park, I think, and the other's... near the school."

"So you actually know where they are at any given moment?" Tucker asked in interest. "That's sick, dude!"

"Well, more like I can see what they're seeing." Danny answered, blinking again to clear his vision. "It's pretty cool, I guess. But it's super distracting."

"I bet." The geek responded, standing up to go order himself some delicious meat.

"Danny, you shouldn't burn yourself out like this." Sam suggested, once Tucker had walked off. "I can't be the only one who can see how this is affecting you. Maybe you should, _I don't know_ , work up to it over time?"

"I'm fine, Sam!" He exclaimed after a few spaced-out seconds. "It's just... hard to get used to at first. But think of how useful this could be! I can literally be two, or three places at once!" He grinned. "Meaning I can study _and_ sleep _and_ fight ghosts at the same time! This will totally help!"

"Not if it makes you this distracted!" The goth countered. "And sleeping doesn't seem to be helping much at all." She added with an eye roll, referring to the fact that Danny looked as if he had pulled a week's worth of all-nighters in a row.

The boy blinked lazily before responding. "I'm not distracted!"

Sam quirked a skeptical eyebrow.

"Okay, maybe I'm a _little_ distracted," He finally admitted, "but I'll get used to it."

The girl shot him another unconvinced look. "Whatever you say." She finally answered with a sigh, rolling her eyes again at her crush's stubbornness.

After all, he'd realize she was right, eventually.

* * *

 _Another day later:_

Danny collapsed on his bed with a sigh, dropping his backpack carelessly on the floor. It was after dinner time, and he had just gotten home from working on the project from the day before (the trio had finally decided on a topic and gotten started, thankfully).

He hadn't gone ghost in quite a while, except to make the duplicates, of course. Why would he want to spend time doing the tedious job of fighting the usual ghosts, when he had copies of himself to do it for him?

Anyway, he had a mountain of unfinished homework, and only about ten hours of the night to finish it before school the next morning. He focused on calling back one of the duplicates. Two Dannys could finish homework faster than one, after all.

A Phantom copy phased through the wall, awaiting orders.

"Help me finish my homework. Here." The original Danny handed a stack of papers and a textbook to his other self.

Was it just his imagination, or did the duplicate shoot him an aggravated look?

Danny shrugged, taking the other half of the homework for himself, and barely noticing when the duplicate changed back into human form and sat down at the desk on the other side of the room.

"Oh, darn." He muttered a few minutes in, reaching for his backpack. "I totally forgot about that essay due tomorrow..."

Was his duplicate glaring at him, or was that just a respectful stare?

"Oh well. Another duplicate it is." The original decided, since the other existing copy was busy fighting a ghost.

Within a few seconds, yet another Phantom copy was floating in the room.

"Here. Write this essay." The original handed the newly made duplicate some lined paper and the essay instruction sheet.

And that made three Dannys simultaneously doing homework.

"Hey, Danny-" Jazz pushed open the door, staring in shock at the sight before her. " _Uhhhhh..._ "

"Just using my power of duplication to finish my homework faster." The Danny on the bed explained tiredly.

"Oh wow, good for you!" The girl smiled proudly. "This is amazing!" She didn't seem to notice the annoyed looks that the two copies wore. "But you look exhausted. When's the last time you slept?"

"I've been sleeping every night, for your information." The original rolled his blue eyes at his sister's concern. "Keeping up these duplicates is just draining."

"Oh, okay then. Well, I'll leave you to it!" The older sibling left the room, sure to close the door to prevent her parents from looking in.

Only an hour later, the three finished what should have been hours of work.

"Good job, Danny! And also you, Danny." The original grinned at the hilarious conversations he could have with himself.

The duplicates didn't respond.

"Well, I'm going to bed now. _You_ can go help Phantom-" he motioned to one of the copies, "and _you_ can study for that test in a few days. Okay?" Silence. "Great! Goodnight."

One duplicate went ghost and phased out, shooting one last dirty look before leaving. The other grumbled to himself and picked up a study guide.

* * *

 _The next afternoon:_

Danny Fenton tiredly entered his room once again after a day of school. His three copies, in ghost form, were already in the room, and looked around to glare at the sound of a door opening.

"Oh... hey, guys. Why aren't you, like, patrolling and stuff?" The original Danny asked, looking a little confused.

"Oh, _Danny_... You're just as clueless as usual." One of the duplicates said snidely, speaking for the first time directly to the original.

In a fluid motion, all three moved to stand in a line, all six green eyes glowering at the human boy.

"Uh... what's going on?" The original asked, a cold knot of fear in his stomach. He nervously stepped back, placing one foot outside of his doorway.

"Oh, I think you know, _Danny_." Another duplicate spat, just as angry as the other.

"We're tired of being treated like trash." The third exclaimed in rage. "We always do the dirty work, whatever you don't want to do yourself. And we're tired of it!"

"What?! But-" The original protested at a high pitch, backing out of the room and being closely followed by the three Phantoms. "We're the same person!"

"Exactly. So no one will notice when we get rid of you once and for all!"

Ice blue eyes widened, and with little hesitation the boy booked it down the stairs.

Jazz looked up from a book from her place on the couch, aqua eyes staring in shock as her brother was chased by three identical copies of himself.

She looked alarmed. "Danny, what-?"

The human Danny swiftly went ghost, frantically dodging the three attacking Phantoms.

"No time!" He squeaked, shooting up through the ceiling with the others closely behind.

It was literally three against one. And the original Danny was exhausted, and nowhere near full power. Even _he_ could realize that those weren't good odds.

The original zoomed around above the city, the pursuing Dannys quickly catching up in their pursuit. He didn't have much time before he ran out of energy... and then he'd be toast.

In exasperation, Phantom shot back down towards his house, phasing into the dark lab and then straight into the Ghost Zone.

If he ever needed Vlad's help, this would be the time.

* * *

 _Back to the present:_

A loud series of thumps were heard, and Danny blinked open his eyes to see a large pink sphere protecting him and the other halfa. The other three Phantoms shot enraged green beams at the translucent surface, but the ghost shield didn't let up.

He took a shaky, relieved breath. "Thank-"

"Didn't I warn you about this?" The man questioned forcefully. "If there was anything important for you to know, this is definitely what it would be..." He sighed guiltily, turning around to face the tired teenager. His black-gloved hands continued glowing pink, powering the shield.

The white-haired ghost shrugged, flinching when another round of attacks made the shield vibrate.

"So, you can't control them at _all?_ "

"Don't you think I've tried?" The boy muttered, shakily standing up from his crouched position and leaning on the other ghost for support.

"Right... Well, I guess we'll have to do this the hard way."

Phantom shrugged. "I'd do anything at this point."

The two nervously got into position, and at Vlad's command the shield exploded outward, throwing back the three attackers roughly into the wall.

"We don't want to fight you, Vlad!" One of them growled.

"Our fight is with _him!_ " Another added, lighting up a fist with energy once again.

"Am I always this annoying?" The original asked the other half-ghost floating beside him.

The man shrugged. "Sometimes. But this definitely takes the cake." He looked pointedly to the copies.

The head duplicate floated closer, green eyes glaring menacingly. "If we can't fight him, then there's another way to settle this." He smirked, and a duplicate of his own flashed into existence.

With a strangled gasp, the original fell out of the air, dropping to the ground like a sack of potatoes. The white rings of light dimly flickered to life and split, leaving a motionless human teenager lying on the floor. All of the sudden... he felt dizzy... and _really, really tired_...

"Hey!" Vlad shouted, red eyes lighting up with rage. "If your power source runs out, which is _him_ ," the man gestured furiously to the exhausted Danny on the ground, "then _all of you_ will be dissolved, and there'll be _no more_ _Danny Phantom!_ So stop this nonsense already!" It was a bit of exaggeration, but the duplicates didn't know that.

The four ghosts looked at each other in confusion and worry at the new dilemma, believing their mentor's (somewhat) false warning.

While they were distracted, the older half-ghost sunk to the ground, concernedly kneeling beside the motionless figure.

The now human boy slowly blinked open his eyes and dizzily tried to sit up. "Ugh... Why do I feel so... lightheaded..." Black spots danced in his vision, causing him to blink several times in an effort to clear them.

"Because your energy is severely depleted." The man answered, keeping a watchful eye on the four floating duplicates. "And you need to get rid of them right now or you might pass out... and that would make things much more difficult."

"I'm _trying_..." He breathed, desperately trying to steal back the majority of his ghost energy that was being used up by the duplicates.

Vlad quickly made a duplicate of his own, which floated protectively overhead, and the original took hold of Danny's hand. "Do you trust me?"

"Uh... _yeah?_ " The boy answered sleepily, letting his head drop back to the floor.

"I'm going to try and help, okay?"

The boy looked at him in confusion at his strange, almost nervous tone, but shifted his head in a nod anyway.

Vlad took a breath and turned intangible, letting his conscience take over Danny's. Dull green eyes faded to dark red. He blinked, feeling shorter, and younger, and _cold_.

Suddenly, the completely drained feeling hit him like a truck. Reeling from the dizziness, the ghost took a few moments to adjust, taking deep breaths to ward away the lightheadedness.

Once his control and senses had stabilized, Vlad let himself recede back a bit, giving Danny back his control and awareness of the situation.

A more uncommon form of overshadowing was a ghost or spirit simply being present in someone's mind, without forcing full control. With it, two beings were connected on a level of telepathy and even were aware each other's emotions. It was a less extreme, less commanding alternative to the more-often-used power of overshadowing, and it reached a more personal level then invasively controlling what was basically a human (or ghost) puppet.

Muddled confusion and panic were the first reactions Vlad sensed, once Danny had realized that another presence was there alongside his own. Then it evolved into more intense, overwhelming fear, and Vlad felt panic of his own rising. Had his instincts been wrong? Did he take a step too far?

Then he realized with dread... _Dan_. He had been created in a similar way.

Of _course_ Danny was freaking out. Vlad cringed, silently cursing himself for being so stupid.

He sent waves of comfort through their temporary link, in a wordless apology and reassurance. After a few painstaking seconds the alarm died down, replaced by relief and faint fascination at the strange feeling of sensing emotions that weren't his own.

Once he was sure Danny was okay, Vlad slowly and steadily let his own power combine with the small amount the other halfa still had. The man felt surprise and gratitude directed to him as the dangerously low energy level was restored, at least momentarily.

After Danny had borrowed enough energy, the two ghosts witnessed the usual white rings that commenced the transformation. And one-by-one, each of the copies were forced out of existence. The energy returned in four rejuvenating bursts, and Vlad discretely took back his own power when it was no longer needed. The exhaustion gradually faded away, and it was soon replaced by buzzing alertness, creating a similar energetic, hyper feeling as caffeine would.

As soon as all the ecto-energy had successfully been restored, the overshadowing ghost turned intangible once more, retreating back to his own form and sighing in relief when the two hybrids were alone in the lab. The man concernedly noted that Danny was breathing a bit more rapidly than usual, but otherwise things were back to normal.

After a few seconds, green eyes dazedly blinked open, clearly glowing brighter than before. And further assuring Vlad, the supernatural white glow surrounding the younger half-ghost was back to its normal level of radiance.

"How do you feel?" The man questioned cautiously, ever so slightly fearing what Danny's response would be to what had just happened.

"Better." The boy answered while shakily sitting up, clearly relieved that he was no longer being attacked by his own duplicates. " _Thank you_... and sorry for causing all that..."

"It's not your fault." The man assured, laying a gentle hand on the Danny's shoulder as he began to explain what had gone wrong. "You see, duplicates are very useful and effective for many things, as you know. But when they're used for long periods of time, they start to develop a... conscience of sorts. Which basically means that they no longer want to follow orders, and it becomes much harder to control them. And also to get rid of them, as you probably realized."

" _Oh_..." Phantom replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck in a nervous habit. "That explains a lot."

"I'm surprised you even managed to make three duplicates in the first place..." The man muttered, shaking his head at what should have been impossible. "But at this point I shouldn't be surprised by anything you do anymore."

The boy grinned, amusement sparkling in his green eyes. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

Vlad chuckled tiredly, floating upright and holding out a gloved hand to help the other halfa up off the floor. The two instinctively floated in the direction of the training room.

"I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow, but I have nothing to do anyway if you'd like to stay for awhile."

"Yeah, sure. Healing Jazz of her heart attack can wait." Danny laughed a bit as he remembered his sister's expression, when she saw that three Phantoms had been trying to kill him.

The older halfa cringed. "I bet that was a shock, seeing you being chased around by... _yourself_."

"Yeah... I should probably let her know that I'm okay. Knowing her, she probably told Sam and Tucker an over-exaggerated version of what really happened and they're planning a massive rescue attempt or something by now." He pulled his phone out of his hazmat suit pocket, typing out a quick text in a matter of seconds.

The black-haired ghost smiled at the action, absently flipping up the light switch and bathing the white-walled training room and equipment in light. "I'm guessing you'd like to skip duplication today."

"Yes, _please_." The boy answered with a tired sounding laugh. "I'm done with that for a while, that's for sure."

"I guess some lessons just need to be learned the hard way."

"That's just your excuse for forgetting to warn me about my duplicates' secret desire to kill me."

"Possibly." The man shrugged. "But in retrospect, I'm fairly certain I _did_ tell you that, back in the beginning. You probably just forgot."

"Uh huh, _sure_." Phantom rolled his eyes in a very teenager-esque way. But despite the craziness and stress from earlier that day, he couldn't help but shoot a genuine smile at the other half-ghost, who was always there no matter _what_ Danny managed to get himself into.

* * *

 **Well I hope this met your expectations, and didn't get too weird at places... xD**

 **ALSO I realized I dun goofed, the Christmas chapter was supposed to be _before_ Secret Weapons... whoops. I'm planning to post it next... Please ignore the out-of-sequence-ness. xD **

**Anyway thanks for reading and see ya next chapter! :D**


	15. No Harm, No Fowl

**Hello all you beautiful people, I'm back for a super short bonus chap! :D I figured since Christmas is next in line, and Thanksgiving works both currently and in the story timeline, that I might as well have a themed chapter for it!**

 **Thanks to these people for faving/following since last chap: Eric Cartman, Sliksick, KestrelCrystal569, Magicornls1, Storm050, Glaciaj Flamoj, ghostboy1225, Xxibio, NoSignalBlueScreen, fausthexxer, Dragon Historian, CreativeBug, Nano0429, MyaAuroranGoddessofPower, Kira Sema, Kittylass, blueflameingdragon, Agoge, Blue Crystal Waters, wolfrider14, Snarry2013, Muggzy, lily73322, ZabuzasGirl, Allcoolnamesaretaken, XxShadowfangxX, and Jesse S. .**

 **Thanks to these people who reviewed: Invader Johnny, Kimera20, HalfaGhostGirl13, jeanette9a, KitKat2.0, Guest, Sonozaki Mion, YokaiAngel, and ZabuzasGirl.**

 **Special thanks to these peeps who followed/faved me as an author: ChaoticMinds, Glaciaj Flamoj, and Sabrina06! You guys are awesome! 3**

 **BTW for those of you who are confused by the crappy title, it's a play on words with the saying "no harm, no foul," which basically means that if there wasn't a negative effect of an event, then there's no need to be upset about it. The word '"fowl" is another word for bird. You'll get it once you read though, lol**

 **ANYWAY let's get on to the chapter! It's really short and sweet compared to my other chaps but I hope you enjoy it anyway!**

 **Disclaimer : All characters belong to Butch Hartman (unfortunately)**

* * *

 **No Harm, No Fowl**

Leaves drifted through the misty afternoon sky like confetti, slowly but surely emptying the trees of their only garments. There was a chill in the air that could only remind one of the autumn months: too warm to be winter, but too cold to be spring.

It was times like these that Danny enjoyed flying casually around Amity, just to watch and smile as shrieking kids jumped into leaf piles, parents raking up the mess again in annoyance and lighthearted amusement. Dogs galloped across backyards barking in surprise at the passing halfa, somehow able to sense his arrival even when he was gone from the visible spectrum. The blaring honks of migrating geese echoed from a distance, appearing through the clouds in diligently arranged V-formations as they traveled north for the winter months.

That time of year had always felt special, with the beautiful changing colors and mouthwatering Thanksgiving meals and hoarding of Halloween candy. But now, after his life had been changed forever, it seemed to hold a new significance.

This November marked almost fifteen months of being Phantom. Fifteen months of lying, training, and fighting ghosts all without his parent's knowledge.

Fifteen months of not being completely human.

Danny shook himself out of his thoughts as he lazily brushed across the top of a tree, dislodging dozens of leaves that flew down chaotically behind him, which revealed his invisible presence to anyone who happened to witness.

Thanksgiving had already passed by, having occurred just a few days before, and December's arrival was just around the corner. And it was definitely a Thanksgiving never to be forgotten.

The Fenton's usually spent the holiday together as a nuclear family, since other relatives and grandparents lived states away in a variety of areas around the U.S. As a last minute idea, Maddie and Jack had had invited their old college friend over to join in the celebration, since the three had reconnected over the past months. It had been a pleasant surprise, at least in the beginning and eventually in the end.

The ghost boy couldn't help but grin as he remembered the day's events. All along, he had warned his mother not to let the turkey be anywhere near anything ectoplasm-related. But in a way, Danny was glad that no one had listened. Seeing Vlad being attacked by a vicious ghost-infested half-baked turkey had been utterly _hilarious_.

Sure, his mother had scolded him for laughing so hard at his mentor's expense, but it had totally been worth it. Obviously Vlad was fine and could easily take care of himself, even when he was in a house full of ghost hunters and stuck in human form as he was bowled over by a flying turkey. Danny's only regret was forgetting to film it for future blackmail purposes.

But anyway, after the main course had been subdued by the outraged Fenton parents, the day had gone considerably normal. The rest of the food turned out fine, and no obnoxious ghosts had further interrupted the event. Everyone had to admit that it could have gone much worse, all things considered.

The halfa sighed, reluctantly heading back in the direction of home. The sky was already darkening at an early evening hour as it did in the late months of each year, and homework for the following day wasn't about to finish itself...

Thanksgiving break may have ended already, but at least he could look forward to the extended winter break scheduled only a few weeks ahead. But, of course, with it would come _Christmas_.

That holiday had always been mediocre at best, with numerous bad memories associated with it from over the years. No matter what precautions the youngest Fenton took to prevent any unfortunate events, the universe never failed to punish him on what was _supposed_ to be the merriest day of the year.

Maybe this Christmas would be different... After all, everything else in his life had changed in some fashion, so with any luck his experiences with the holiday could change, too, and hopefully for the better.

* * *

 **Sorry it was so short! I sorta ran out of ideas towards the end... Anyway this was just meant to keep y'all interested until the next, way bigger chap; Christmas is up next, and should be out sometime next month or early January! I hope y'all had a good thanksgiving (if you celebrate it) and I'll see ya next chap! :)**

 **-Specter14 signing out-**


	16. Tis the Season

**Hello again everyone! :D I hope y'all had a great Holiday and happy New Year! I'm pretty proud of myself for actually getting this done around when I said I would, not very long after Christmas! xD It isn't the _longest_ chapter ever, but I think I included some good stuff!**

 **Thanks to those who followed/faved since last update: Shiranai Atsune, princessbinas, kimcat, ShinyMudkipGal, ErisVodiax, mechenuy, Hinop, Carrot fish, cooldog2go, WyrdGuardian, AngelBlue1852, dragonlover9, Farana123, cg037, abovely girl, Rush721, Shattersoul, The Ghost Prince, awesomeadvice Mewaponny, and brookie248! Sorry if I didn't mention anyone who should have been mentioned, I only go off of the alert emails I get... I used to check for unfamiliar names on the list but by now there's too many for me to do that... xD Anyway thanks to everyone!**

 **Thanks to these incredible peeps who reviewed: Invader Johnny, jeanette9a, Mama May-Eye, Kimera20, memmek10k, YokaiAngel, AlecGateway, Tomato, KitKat2.0, CommanderM2, and cg037! Thank you guys so much, reviews are the best form of feedback I get, so I appreciate your time and dedication! xD**

 **Finally, thanks to these special people who followed/faved me as an author: Vgn Golley, AlecGateway, ErisVodiax, CommanderM2, and AngelBlue1852, and Rush721!**

 **We've hit a milestone as well, recently this story has reached 24,000+ VIEWS! THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE READING THIS, YOU ARE ALL AMAZING! *several heart emojis* *because this site hates them apparently lol***

 **Anyway, as always, I hope you enjoy the chapter! :)**

* * *

"How did you persuade me to come to this, again?" Danny muttered in annoyance, desperately wanting to clamp his hands over his ears to drown out the annoying Christmas music that blared from the speakers above.

"Oh, _come on_ , Ghost Boy, don't be such a downer." Sam rolled her amethyst eyes, shoving her best friend and earning a pair of glowing green ones in return.

The trio of high-schoolers were currently at the Manson's mansion, attending their annual Holiday party (celebrating Hanukkah, the family's Jewish tradition, along with Christmas). Of course, the celebration was invitation only, but the goth girl had somehow convinced her parents to let the Fentons come, no matter how much Pamela and Jeremy disapproved of them and their "hobby."

It was still several weeks until Christmas Day, but the entirety of the town was already covered head to toe in red and green lights and other festive decorations. Everyone seemed to be in a great mood, much to Danny's annoyance. Snow had yet to fall, but the kids and teenagers hadn't lost hope of a white Christmas and many school cancellations soon to follow.

The trio wandered from the empty living room to join the bulk of the guests. Jazzy holiday music played discretely in the background of the great room, accompanied by casual chatting and the occasional clinking of champagne glasses. Formal dress was common with all of the guests, surprisingly even Maddie and Jack Fenton (whom their daughter Jazz had persuaded to wear something appropriate for the occasion). The older sibling hung around her parents, making sure to stop any Santa-related arguments before they started.

The three weaved through talking groups of adults, earning some weird looks in the process. As usual, Tucker made a beeline for the food table, his amused friends following close behind.

As the grumpy black-haired boy went further into the open room, he was halted by a familiar chill.

" _Great_ , just what I need right now." He muttered, earning sympathetic glances from the other two teenagers.

He turned to exit the room and find an adequate spot to transform, but before he departed he caught a glimpse of a familiar face, chatting amongst some other adults and holding a dainty glass of alcohol. Upon seeing who it was, he couldn't help but smile despite his bad mood.

"Hey Fruitloop, I didn't know you were an alcoholic!" The boy said as loudly as he dared, faking surprise and holding back laughter at the man's disgruntled expression.

"Oh, you silly, uneducated child." The billionaire sighed, patting the boy on the back in a pitying fashion and causing the younger to glare at the insult. "Having one little drink does not make me an _alcoholic_." The dry response caused any overhearing guests to chuckle and return their attention to the previous conversations.

"Good comeback, I gotta admit." Danny muttered, giving the other halfa a playful shove.

"Why thank you." Vlad answered cheekily. "I thought you'd be here, considering your connection to the Mansons." He noticed the other two high schoolers, hanging back behind Danny and engaging in their own conversation. "Hello Samantha, Tucker. How are you two?"

"We're fine!" The two responded simultaneously, causing Sam to glare in playful annoyance at her geeky friend.

"That only leaves the question of how you're here." Danny commented curiously.

"I knew Pamela in high school, and we somehow managed to keep in touch through the years." The man just then seemed to notice his pupil's dark expression, which had quickly returned after the initial surprise. "Sheesh, where's your holiday spirit?"

"Oh, Danny's just a huge Grinch during the holiday season!" Sam explained with an eye roll and uncharacteristic smile, considering her usual emo personality.

"You're kidding." The man muttered in disbelief. "Badger, how could you possibly dislike _Christmas?_ " He gestured to the festive, cheerful party, which clearly radiated the merriment associated with the holiday season.

"Oh, I guess you don't know about... _the fight.._." Tucker said vaguely, with a cautious look to his friend.

"The fight? _What_ fight?"

Danny groaned in exasperation. He was not at all in the mood to talk about his parents' annoying feud again, that he had been hearing every year for the entirety of his life.

"Well, his parents have some... _disagreements_... that may or may not have to do with a certain... jolly holiday figure..." The techno-geek explained sheepishly.

After a few surprised seconds, Vlad put two and two together and burst into rather uncharacteristic giddy laughter, causing several party-goers to look over in confusion. "Jack Fenton... believes in _Santa Clause?!_ Oh, that is the best thing I've heard since..." His grin disappeared instantly, as he seemed to remember something. "Uh... not that that particular belief is _false_ , per se-"

Danny scoffed testily, half-offended at the notion that he and his friends believed something so childish. "We're not six, Vlad..."

"Well, you often act like it..." The billionaire muttered, rolling his eyes and moving his gaze over to the Fenton's, who looked to be in some sort of quarrel. And at Danny's incredibly exasperated expression, it was clear what the cause was. Vlad smirked pettily at his former friend. "Oh, this is _definitely_ going on the ever-growing mental list."

"The mental list of what?" Sam wondered aloud to the annoyed boy beside him.

"Basically, reasons why he doesn't like my dad." Danny muttered, partially frustrated at the older halfa's continued grudge, but also understanding in a way. His dad did have his quirks, after all, and being turned into a half-ghost-half-human mutant and essentially having your life ruined wasn't something to be easily forgotten, or forgiven for that matter.

The party went on without much disturbance; no ghosts showed up to wreck havoc, and the Fenton parents only got into a few arguments, which was an improvement from the past Decembers that Danny remembered.

* * *

 _"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire..."_

Vlad hummed along to the music, floating along the balcony of his main staircase to hang up a long string of lights. It was mere days until Christmas, and the yellow-and-green-themed mansion had essentially been turned into the holiday itself. A huge, live Christmas tree towered in the middle of the room, the tallest branch only feet away from touching the two-story-high ceiling. Every few seconds a branch shuddered, and if the man looked closely he could spot a glowing white cat climbing up contently through the needles. Tinsel and ornaments glimmered from each bough, a brightly shining star completing the look from atop the tree.

Normally he didn't decorate to this extent, but this year he had a reason. A hilarious, completely worthwhile reason.

Once finished, he floated back to admire his work.

"Oh yes, this will definitely suffice."

He received a muffled meow from the tree's direction, which he chose to take as a noise of agreement.

Not long after, a breath of warm air made him grin in anticipation, and he flickered into invisibility and discretely turned up the music's volume. A flabbergasted Phantom drifted into the room, staring at every decoration with horror and disgust.

" _Ha ha_ , _very funny!_ " He shouted angrily over the blasting music, causing the other floating halfa to appear in the air, unable to hold back an amused grin.

"Why Daniel, what could possibly be funny? I'm just a lonely old man decorating for—"

"Cut the crap, you totally did this just to annoy me!"

"Possibly..." The older half-ghost straightened the tree's slightly-crooked star, casually floating to one side when a green beam was shot up in his direction.

"And I thought I could come here to get away from this terrible holiday..." Danny kicked at some stray ornaments on the floor, looking slightly more satisfied when they shattered into pieces. "And would you turn that stupid music down?!"

"I happen to like the music."

Danny rolled his eyes in exasperation. " _Ugh!_ I knew I shouldn't have come!"

"Yes, you really should have anticipated this." Vlad agreed gleefully, touching down onto the wood floor in front of the annoyed ghost boy.

"Crazed-up Fruitloop..." muttered Phantom with an eye roll. "I don't understand half the things you do."

"Likewise, Daniel." The man playfully ruffled the other's snow-white hair, earning another irritated glare in response.

* * *

Green sound waves ripped through the air, blasting several targets in their path into the wall behind. As quickly as the ear-splitting noise has started, it died down into silence once more, only to be unleashed again a mere second later at a different set of objects.

The process continued, sometimes interrupted by twin green ghost-rays as Phantom danced gracefully through the air, not hesitating for even a second in his assault.  
Once every wooden target has been knocked to the ground and/or broken into pieces, the ghost halted in midair to steady his erratic breathing, trying his best to ignore the dull ache in his throat.

"That was great! You're really getting the hang of it!" A black-haired ghost praised, flying over to the other in excitement and pride. "Nice job!"

The tired half-ghost smiled bashfully as he lowered his feet onto to the spotless white floor. "You really think so?"

"I know so."

Over the past month, the new task had had been mastering a certain newfound power, arguably the most powerful and dangerous of them all, if misused. At first, Danny had been reluctant to even try, for obvious reasons.

* * *

 _"I—I just can't control it. Once it starts, I can't stop it..." The boy had explained with a shudder._

 _"Well..." Vlad had replied cautiously, "Everything is that way at first, isn't it? That's why we practice, to become more experienced and comfortable, and able to control."_

 _"Other powers are different, okay? This is... a_ different kind _of uncontrollable." He had grimaced._

 _"You don't have to do anything if you don't want to, I promise. But... we don't know what the future holds." The man had frowned sympathetically. "There's a chance you'll have no choice, if a situation happens to arise."_

 _"But—But I don't want to hurt you... or anyone!"_

 _"You won't." Red eyes had sparkled in trust and certainty. "That's one thing I'm sure of."_

* * *

And with that, the Wail had become the main focus whenever Danny made the trek to Wisconsin. And over that time, it had evolved from a dangerous, unpredictable ability to a formidable, useful addition to Phantom's collection of powers.

* * *

Sighing, Danny closed his bedroom door for the night, simultaneously relieved that the day was over and dreading the following morning: Christmas Day.

 _After tomorrow, this nightmare will be over_ , he thought tiredly. _Until next year, at least..._

Unknown to his parents, he had something else planned that night. The black-haired teenager transformed without a word and made a quick duplicate (fortunately not a back-stabbing one like in a previous experience). The copy settled down in his bed to trick his parents should they enter his room before he returned.  
A breath of icy blue alerted him of the other half-ghost's arrival, and Danny took a deep breath before sinking through the floor.

* * *

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"...Are we there now?"

"Nope."

"...Are we there _now?_ "

" _No!_ "

"...Are we-"

" _Would you stop that?_ " The black-haired ghost rolled his eyes. "We'll get there soon enough; just relax for two seconds, would you?"

" _Aye aye_ , Captain Fruitloop!" Phantom replied with a salute, finally content to fly the rest of the way in silence. The strangely enthusiastic response earned another eye roll from the older ghost.

Every Christmas Eve night for centuries, a large amount of the ghosts in the area had gathered together to celebrate and simply have a good time, without needing to worry about conflicts with enemies or petty grudges. It turned out, the ghost Truce happening during the Earth's common holiday season was a complete coincidence. The day had been declared a conflict-free day by the Ancients millennia before, and since then the Truce had held up.

As they got closer and closer to their destination, a set of open burgundy doors came into view, floating in the Ghost Zone like most of the other lairs and doors. Several ghosts could be seen around and just inside the room, and the sound of friendly chatter could be heard from dozens of feet away. As the two halfas approached, several of the closest ghosts peered over curiously, automatically recognizing the two as hybrids, and also the ones who had defeated Pariah Dark a few months prior.

"I thought you said no one would stare at us." Danny muttered discretely, shooting a look to the ghost beside him.

"They didn't before. It must be because of you." Vlad said with a nonchalant shrug, causing the younger halfa glared at the other's teasing statement. The two floated through the tall doorway, emerging into a large, well-lit lavender room, decorated with various lights and festive decorations. There were dozens and dozens of ghosts tightly grouped around, both familiar and unfamiliar faces in the crowd.

Danny was beyond relieved when he realized that there was no Christmas music playing, for once. He'd had enough of the infuriating carols, and his parents' constant arguments because of them.

"Plasmius, Phantom. Nice to catch a glimpse of my favorite prey once again." A deep voice greeted. Danny's eyes snapped forward, stopping to stare at the "Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter." He couldn't decide if he should be offended or glad that the hunter wasn't attacking him for once.

"Hello, Skulker." Vlad responded, not sounding quite as casual as the grinning robotic ghost. "Happy Truce."

"Likewise." Skulker grinned, and it was the first time Danny had seen him look genuinely excited about something other than acquiring the ghost boy's own pelt.

The two halfas wandered around, making friendly small talk with several of the ghosts there. Vlad seemed to know almost every one, while the younger half-ghost was only acquainted with the usual ghosts that visited (or more often attacked) Amity Park.

"I'd heard the rumors, but I still can't believe it! Two hybrids, now? Never thought I'd see the day." One friendly senior ghost said upon seeing the two halfas.

"Looks like you're not as alone as you thought, huh, Plasmius!" Another piped in with a hearty laugh, soon bringing similar reactions from the rest of the group.

"Apparently so." Vlad replied with a smile, red eyes glowing with a mix of emotions that Danny couldn't quite decipher.

Soon they approached a long crowded table, filled with what looked like a full-sized dinner for dozens, complete with the largest ham Danny had ever seen. It was accompanied by an immense selection of side dishes, snacks, and desserts. At one end of the buffet sat a large bowl and ladle containing an only-slightly-suspicious-looking green drink.

Ghosts, of course, didn't _need_ to eat, but it was a habit of entertainment and remembering their human lives, for the ghosts that had them. It was actually more common in the Ghost Zone than one would thing, especially contradictory to the views of most humans (at least the ones that knew of the existence of ghosts).

"Some party!" Danny remarked, eyeing the impressive spread of various foods. As much as he hated that time of year, he couldn't help but appreciate being at the gathering. It was eye-opening to have friendly contact with a lot of the ghosts; it was nice to see things from a different perspective, one that he never witnessed at his house.

And, there hadn't been a single mention of Santa, thank Clockwork.

"Hey, Punk. And _Plasmius_ , of course." The ghost boy was startled out of his thoughts at Walker's gruff voice, green eyes immediately narrowing in distrust at the warden. A gentle hand on his shoulder and cautious glint in the other hybrid's red eyes reminded him of the Truce. There would be no risk of arrest that night, especially since Vlad was there.

Shaking away his uneasiness, Danny nodded in greeting, slowly taking the purple cup that was handed to him. Now that the boy could see the drink up close, it looked similar to the ghost portals; various shades of green swirled around the cup in a never-ending circular motion.

"Uh... is it safe?" Danny looked over to see that Vlad had taken an identical cup from the warden.

"Yes, it's basically an energy drink for ghosts." The man responded in reassurance. "Only it's a Truce tradition."

"It won't, like, make me drunk or anything, right?"

"No." He chuckled along with a few of the other ghosts around, and he took a sip of his own drink. The white ghostly glow around him almost immediately brightened up, a similar occurrence happening with many of the other ghosts floating nearby.

Danny looked around at the ghosts surrounding him, who were all smiling at him strangely. Raising a suspicious eyebrow, he turned his gaze back to his mentor, who simply nodded.

With a shrug, the ghost boy took a cautious sip, and after a few shocked seconds his face screwed up at the overwhelming taste. Laughter sounded from around him, from both allies and enemies. He had known it was a trick...

He swallowed with minor difficulty, resisting the urge to spit out the weird aftertaste left in his mouth. "Uh... that was... _interesting_...?"

"You get used to it." Vlad responded, still grinning in amusement as he drank some more out of his own cup. Danny internally gagged, wondering how anyone could actually like the bitter, strong-tasting beverage. "They played the same trick on me at my first Truce... but that was a long time ago."

The conversation was interrupted by a hearty bout of laughter from across the room. The ghost boy smiled at the sight of so many of his enemies and allies having such a good time together, even if it was just for a single night.

He couldn't help but imagine a reality where Earth would do something similar: a day to unite as people and enjoy life together, disregarding the usual disagreements, cliques, and stereotypes that existed.

In a way that his parents would likely never realize, many ghosts had just as much, if not _more_ humanity than a lot of humans. And for that reason, Phantom felt proud to be a part of both worlds, no matter the negative disposition so many people had against everything supernatural or ghostly.

No matter what his parents thought, Danny was proud to be a ghost.

* * *

Light seeped through his eyelids, disrupting his sleep and causing him to roll over in annoyance. He began to drift off again until—

Someone knocked loudly against the wooden door. "Danny? Are you ready to go downstairs?"

He groaned at his sister's loud wake-up call, burying his face in his pillow. Why did he agree to staying out that late last night?

" _Hey Dannyyyyy_ -"

" _All right, all right,_ I'm coming! Stop spazzing out!"

"That's the spirit!" He heard his sister victoriously walk away from his closed door. Rolling his eyes, he forced himself out of bed. Shivering at the absence of his blankets, he joined his sister at the top of the stairs.

"So the sleepy-head awakes."

"Shut up, Jazz."

She ruffled his hair. "Make me, little brother!" The youngest Fenton playfully shoved her away, and with that the two siblings began their decent down the stairs. The two parents were already in the kitchen; Maddie watched over a brewing pot of coffee and Jack busied himself by reading the newspaper.

"Hey, kids!" The orange-clad ghost hunter exclaimed. "Are you ready to see what Santa brought?!" He sounded even more excited than the two teenagers felt.

"Now, Jack, those gifts might not be from _Santa_..." The woman raised an eyebrow at her husband. "But there are definitely plenty of presents to go around!"

In a matter of minutes, the family was gathered around the tree, handing out the colorfully decorated packages. Soon, torn paper and unraveled ribbons littered the carpet, and despite his bad mood even Danny was pleased at the outcome.

After all of the prepared gifts had been opened, the family noticed that there were a group of boxes hidden behind the tree, dressed in unfamiliar paper with intricate designs and topped with beautifully crafted bows.

"Who are those from?" The mother wondered aloud, and her confusion grew when she got merely shrugs in response.

"Santa _did_ come after all!" Jack practically jumped for joy, shaking the whole house. "I knew he was real! _I told you so_ , Maddie!"

"There has to be another explanation..." She shook her head in disbelief.

With four shared smiles, the beautiful paper was ripped open. Astonishment grew at the items underneath the wrapping.

Danny shook his head in disbelief, firmly grasping one of the most expensive telescopes on the market, the one he had had his eyes on for at least a year but knew he would never get.

The four ghost hunters looked at each other, all shocked at the outcome.

"This has to be a mistake. Who would have left these?" Jazz remarked, staring with wide eyes at her new top-of-the-market laptop.

"SANTA!" Jack Fenton bellowed, causing the other three to grin at the man's childlike delight.

Danny shook his head; something still wasn't adding up. He picked up his shredded paper once more, scanning for any clues. He peered over at his sister, who was doing the same, an investigative spark in her teal eyes.

The boy looked back, eyes widening upon seeing the familiar pristine cursive that was written on the tag that remained tied to the wrinkled ribbon.

"No... _he didn't!_ " The boy muttered in shock, voice lowered so only his sister was within earshot.

"Who didn't?" Jazz whispered, meeting her brothers eyes and then coming to the same realization. "Wait... _seriously?_ "

"Kids, did you figure it out?" Maddie asked almost desperately, wanting to somehow disprove her husband's theory.

"Well, let's see... He wears red sometimes, he's way underappreciated..." Danny listed off as broad statements as he could muster, not sure if he should explicitly give away the truth. "He's a _Fruitloop_..." He added under his breath with a fond eye roll.

" _SANTA!_ " Jack repeated even louder than before, resulting in another bout of laughter from everyone in the room.

"You must be right, Dad." Jazz agreed with a secretive wink to her grinning brother. " _You must be right..._ "

* * *

"Here, read this. What do you think?"

"... _Mrow_."

"Ah yes, I agree..." The man muttered, fingers rapidly hitting the laptop's keys as he added a few additional sentences. In the corner of his eye he noticed the white and grey animal shifting closer, yellow eyes fixed curiously on his moving hands and tail flicking back and forth. "All right, that's a bit better. Any more suggestions?"

" _Mrrrow_."

It was only a day after Christmas, but Vlad was already eager to end his holiday break and get back to work. After all, over the years he had learned to constantly keep himself busy; the more focused he was on finishing something, the less time he had to reflect on how much things had changed... And the less reflecting, the better.

Eleanor's ears perked up, and yellow eyes flickered to look towards the ground as if she sensed something beneath it. A breath of warmth made him also look up in surprise, and mere seconds later Vlad Plasmius sat in his place. He sunk through the wooden floor, emerging into the main room in curiosity and slight worry as he touched gently onto the tile.

Another form flew up through the floor in a similar manner, solidifying into none other than a certain Phantom.

"What're you doing here? Is there something wro-?" The man was cut off when the ghost tackled him in a tight hug, sending him almost stumbling backwards with the impact.

"You're the best!" The boy said cheerfully, his demeanor the complete opposite than a few days before. " _Thank-you-thank-you-thank-you—_!"

The man chuckled and returned the embrace. "Okay, you're welcome, just—just calm down-!"

"Yesterday it was like the _perfect night_ and I looked up and I saw Mercury and Mars and Jupiter and I think I even saw another _galaxy_ and—"

"Daniel-!"

"—it was _soooo cool_ and it also does this thing where you can take pictures of what you see and print them out like those old-fashioned cameras did and—"

"It's getting kind of... _hard to breathe_ —"

"—they turned out really professional looking like they were taken from a _real satellite_ and I just can't believe—"

"HEY!" At the shout, the boy finally stopped rambling to take several needed breaths.

He quickly backed away, a green blush quickly rising up from his outburst. "Hehe, sorry... I get really excited about space stuff... Like, _really_ excited."

"I can see that..." Plasmius muttered, smoothing out his wrinkled light grey suit but smiling nonetheless.

Within mere seconds, Phantom had rushed back into the Ghost Zone, frantically explaining that he couldn't stay long because he had plans to meet his friends and he couldn't be late or else he would lose Sam's bet that he would be late again... or something along those lines.

Once again, an amused Vlad was alone in peaceful tranquility; the only sound that broke the silence were the gentle, continuous purrs from a certain glowing white feline, who had followed her owner down to investigate the disturbance.

And everything was just as it should have been.

* * *

 **Welp I hope that chapter was worth the wait.. xD I know it wasn't my best work but whatever, I have plenty of better plot ideas in store that I need to start on! So keep an eye out for next chapter: either another original or something to do with Valerie similar to "Flirting With Disaster"... xD That'll be interesting...**

 **God bless y'all, see (or.. write to?) ya next time and feel free to PM or review with any feedback, ideas or suggestions! :P**

 **-Specter14**


	17. Fox in Sheep's Clothing

**Hey guys! Wow look, it's only been *checks calendar sheepishly*… 7 months since the last update… but y'all should be used to this by now to be completely honest.**

 **Thanks to these people for following/favoriting this story since January: zwetkowasaeaki123, Jester94, Crazydawg19, 1228248, The Arc Knight, therandomgamer26, TheGoldenTrio16, Bellatrix Morgenstern, TheAceofAll, Taki-nee-chan, splitpersonalitygoddess, Kid'sDarkWolf, Captainbean006, Carayen, silent blue rose, Lucifer's Remnants, BeBraveBeLion, Hanzo of the Salamander 2.0, AminatheAwesome1, DazlerAngel, Nebula'sPhoenix, Beacool, Luna1532, SoulMore, Faceball-92, Raushea, MidnightStorm022, The Legendary Dragon Reaper, starwars05, Ace . W . 15, FanOfmanyThings1, Xenvic, Zekky-Reshi-Kyu, Secret Wind, avert 1523, Nagisa Tabitha Scholz, Pineapplequeen02, Izi Wilson, DorkyyThief, Doorkeeper, Redthorne19, PhoenixQueen15, Fyrusfairy, DrinkSomeLethe, IronTiger16, CeleneTheAngel, blackreaper201, and TheFriendlySpecter (cool name lol).**

 **Thanks to these peeps who reviewed: Invader Johnny, cg037, jeanette9a, memmek10k, 1228248, Guest, Kimera20, Invader ash, Ella Le Hissy, Sonozaki Mion, Guest, Phantom14 (omg so similar to my name on DA, I had to do a second take there lol), Itsaghost, Helpthispoorsoul, Amazingghost, SoulMore, and La-luna lady of the ghost zone! It always makes my day to read comments, especially ones as amazing and nice as yours! ;D And thanks to those of you who gave me ideas for future chaps!**

 **Special thanks to these amazing humans who decided to follow me as an author: The Arc Knight, Bellatrix Morgenstern, Hanzo of the Salamander 2.0, AnimaTheAwesome1, and blackreaper201. Thanks you guys! :D**

 **This chapter is a special one because it's the first one that was really influenced by someone who gave me an awesome idea, thought of a lot of the events, and helped with research/OC names! This chapter is dedicated to** _Ella Le Hissy_ **for giving me this idea back in January and keeping in touch since then! This chapter wouldn't be possible without them, so thanks so much!**

 **Disclaimer : I don't own the show Danny Phantom or any of the characters in it.**

* * *

 **Fox in Sheep's Clothing**

"I have a great idea!"

"Oh, boy..." Sam muttered, slightly afraid to hear what exactly her friend was thinking.

"You know how Vlad's all alone in his cheese castle talking to his cat 24-7?"

"Uh... yeah?"

"No one deserves to sink slowly into oblivion alone like that! So... we should hook him up!"

"What?" Tucker exclaimed, running up to join his two best friends in the crowded high school hallway. "Hook who up? Tucker the Match-Maker is humbly at your service."

"Ghost Boy here thinks we should play Cupid and find the fruitloop a lady."

The techno-geek snorted, barely holding back a laugh. "I'm sorry, what?!"

"Who knows, maybe it's what he secretly wants!" Danny shrugged. "And maybe it would help him get over... _you know who_."

"Don't you think this could backfire?" Sam asked dryly, thinking of the introverted, reserved man the trio had gotten to know over the past several months.

"Well, it wouldn't hurt to try!" Tucker grinned. "But if it goes terribly wrong, it was your idea." He looked pointedly to Danny.

"Because it _is_ my idea!" The blue-eyed boy said proudly, ignoring the eye roll from the girl next to him.

* * *

"What is the meaning of this?"

"To bring you one step closer to love!"

Vlad blinked, reading his 'profile' on some online dating website. " _Ummmm_..."

"Isn't it great?" Tucker said, looking quite proud of his work. Behind the two boys was Sam, looking at the man in pity and apology.

The man felt torn between laughter and anger. "Kids, I appreciate the gesture, but I don't think-"

"C'mon, give us a chance!" Tucker exclaimed, furiously continuing to add stuff to the profile. "Look, you already have two match requests!"

"I already have—wait, _what?_ " The man shoved the techno-geek to the side to get a closer look. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Chat with them!" The dark-skinned boy opened the chat function. "Here."

A few messages came through from one of the 'match requests'. The four people watched the screen first with excited anticipation and then with shock and disgust.

"Okay, so online dating is a bust..." Tucker muttered, turning off the screen and wanting to forget what he had just seen.

"Yep." Danny agreed meekly.

* * *

"You did WHAT?!"

"Put an ad in the national newspaper calling for a speed date tomorrow morning."

"But—but that sounds so... _desperate!_ "

"Well, I'd say this is a pretty desperate situation..." Tucker muttered honestly, scrolling down through the page he had set up.

"Wow... a thousand thirty six people RSVP'd." Danny commented in shock.

"Wha—A _THOUSAND_ —?"

"Well, you'd better get busy Fruitloop."

The man looked practically ready to feint. After only a few moments of silence, he answered with a single word.

"Okay."

* * *

It was the afternoon of the next day, and speed dating had also turned out to be a disaster.

Long story short, the trio found out that while Vlad was great at many things, flirting wasn't one of them... which wasn't a surprise, really, since it had been decades since he had trusted anyone enough to consider a relationship.

After it was obvious that it wasn't going anywhere, the four decided to go out for lunch.

"Don't worry, Tucker the Match-Maker still—" the statement was cut off by a yelp when Sam swiftly kicked his leg.

"Maybe this was a bad idea..." The blue-eyed teenager muttered. "Sam was right."

The waitress brought another beer to replace the one Vlad already finished. "Excuse me while I attempt to drink away my sorrows." He took another gulp and grumbled to himself. "Curse you, increased metabolism and related inability to get drunk..."

Danny snorted. "Well I didn't even get to experience it at all, so—"

"That's honestly a good thing." The second glass was already half empty. He sighed. "I should have known this was a bad idea from the beginning..."

The man stood up with the intent to walk away, only to bump into someone. With a thud, the other person fell to the ground.

"Oh, I'm so—" Vlad's eyes widened upon seeing the stranger. "—sorry..."

"Well, are you going to help me up or not?" A light, teasing voice piped up from the ground after several seconds of awkward staring.

Once the lady was back on her feet, she smoothed out her dress. She seemed to be of Asian origin, middle aged but beautiful. She had slightly wavy, dark brown hair that seemed to fade a bit at the edges, and it went down a few inches past her shoulders. Brown eyes were framed with a light layer of mascara, and her lips were the color of ripe cherries. She wore a burnt-orange colored floor-length dress, in addition to a long, dark trench coat.

"That's quite a cliche way to meet, huh?"

"Yes." Blinking out of his trance, the man replied with a chuckle before holding out a hand. "Vlad Masters."

The lady smiled and shook the man's hand. "Jae Hwa. Or just Jay for short."

"Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, as well." The lady's eyes sparkled playfully.

"Um... do you want to..." he motioned at his table.

"Sure! Thanks." The two adults sat down, Jay pulling up a convenient extra chair, and immediately they started to make conversation.

"Match made." Tucker whispered, high-fiving Danny and ignoring Sam's amused eye roll.

* * *

A few minutes later, everyone had finished their lunch. Jay had left behind her purse to run to the restroom, and Vlad went to the front desk to pay.

"Does anyone else get the major creeps around that woman?" Sam muttered to her friends once the two adults were out of earshot.

"What do you mean?" Tucker questioned. "She seems nice!"

"I don't know..." The girl answered, fighting back a shudder as she remembered the concealed, hungry look in the lady's eyes.

"Well, I don't think she's a ghost." Danny answered under his breath. "My ghost sense didn't go off, and Vlad doesn't seem concerned."

Sam eyed the leather purse hanging on the edge of the lady's chair, which was halfway open. "Watch my back. I'm going in." Before the boys could argue, the teenage girl stood up and approached the bag.

Old receipts. An expensive leather wallet with several pockets and zippers. Several teeth on a string. Driver's license. Lipstick. Old discolored pictures. _Wait..._

Eyes widening, the girl scanned the space around her for onlookers before pulling out the white string in disgust. There were six teeth strung on it, some still bloody at the roots. They didn't seem to match; slightly different sizes and colors revealed that each had been from a different mouth.

" _What the h_ —"

"Sam!" A harsh whisper.

The goth whipped her head up, seeing the warning glances from her friends as the woman was returning. She quickly put back the string and stole a few of the pictures before returning to her friends.

"Did you need something, dear?" The lady asked, causing the girl to hide a flinch. She had been seen.

"Um, yeah..." At least she didn't have to pretend to be embarrassed. "I was caught unprepared..."

"Oh. _Oh_..." The woman's expression changed from suspicion to sincerity. "Sure thing, honey."

The goth couldn't help but smirk at the red faces and awkward coughs of her male friends, who clearly hadn't been ready. "Thanks."

* * *

"She had human teeth in her purse...?"

"Well... everyone has their hobbies, right?"

Sam rolled her eyes. The trio had regrouped at the Nasty Burger to discuss the events of the day. "I think it's more than that." She took out the collection of photos, displaying them on the table. "This one's dated 1948. This one's 1996."

"1948?" Tucker whistled. "She's older than she looks..."

"Wait..." Danny muttered, studying the two pictures side by side. "She looks around the same age in both... and she looks exactly the same _now_."

"What?" The techno-geek took another look. "That's weird..."

"So... she's immortal or something?" The halfa wondered. "But she's not a ghost..."

"What if she's... something else?" The girl suggested.

The two boys looked at their friend in surprise, watching curiously as she pulled a worn-looking book out of her backpack.

"' _A Complete Guide to the World of Mystical Creatures'?_ " Danny read aloud, clearly doubting his friend's solution. The purple-eyed teenager opened the book to search for the page she needed.

"How do you know that it's accurate?" Tucker wondered. "It could be all fairytales for all we know."

" _Or_ it could give us a clue about what's going on." The girl answered smartly, finally finding the page. "Here. Look familiar?"

On the page, a sketch of a fox with multiple tails took up the middle of the paper, surrounded by paragraphs of writing. At the bottom of the page was a smaller drawing of a woman with pointed ears smiling seductively at the figure of a man.

"' _The kumiho is known to be a vicious Korean Fox spirit'_..?" Danny read, looking back at his friend in confusion and skepticism. "You really think Jay is a Korean Fox spirit?"

"It says these spirits can transform into a beautiful woman and put men under a spell, for the end goal of... basically killing them." The goth explained, internally cringing at the details she was leaving out.

"But we can't prove Jay is one of them, can we?" Tucker piped in. "Just for having pictures and creepy teeth on a chain?"

Sam pointed to a specific paragraph. "When these spirits transform, they can hide all Fox-like features except one of the nine tails. Jay was wearing long, draping clothing that would hide something like that. Plus, it says they often keep 'souvenirs' to remember their past victims."

"So you think the teeth are..." Danny shuddered before he could finish his haunted question. "That's gross."

"Danny's the spooky Halloween creature here and even _he_ thinks it's gross." The techno-geek joked half-heartedly, clearly shaken up as well.

The ghost stared at his friend, looking deeply offended. "If you never call me that again, it'll be too soon."

"But you've gotta admit that it's pretty accurate—"

"We have to get to the bottom of this." The girl interrupted, remaining focused on the task at hand. "Vlad could be in danger because of us!"

"And if he's under a spell like the book says, he'll be powerless to protect himself!" The ghost boy realized, eyes lighting up in shock and guilt. "I need to go let him know what's going on."

"But if he's under a spell, he might not believe you." The purple-eyed teenager informed grimly.

"Plus, if she thinks you're a danger to her plan, she could put you under a spell too... right?" Tucker wondered aloud and whipped out his PDA, fingers flying across the keyboard. "I'll see if I can find any more information online..."

"While he does that, I'll go keep an eye on them."

"They're going to know you're there from Vlad's ghost sense, if not Jay's own powers." Sam argued. "I should go. I can keep you updated with the Fenton Phones, and they'll never know I'm there."

"You don't know that." The boy muttered, worried about his friend being alone so close to an enemy.

"Well, it's the best idea we have right now." The girl stood up, followed by the other two high-schoolers. "Come on!"

* * *

"Welcome to my humble abode."

"Mhm, _humble_..." Jay giggled at the huge expensive-looking mansion and the many acres of green land surrounding it. "It's beautiful out here."

The two adults entered the house, Jay marveling at the shiny, spotless floors and interesting color scheme.

" _Mrow._ "

The man's eyes widened; he had forgot about an explanation for his translucent cat, who was padding around the corner. "Oh, and this is, uh, Eleanor."

"Aww, what an adorable little kitty!" The woman knelt down to pet the feline.

The white cat cautiously sniffed at the woman's hand, ears immediately flattening. A warning hiss rose in her throat, quickly cut off when she was picked up.

"Sorry about that. She isn't usually like this..." The cat continued to glare menacingly from the man's arms, not at all calmed by the hand stroking through her fur.

The lady smiled almost arrogantly at the ghost cat, unnoticed by the halfa in the room. "No problem. I know how _animals_ can be sometimes..."

* * *

"Finally!"

"Did you find something?"

"' _The kumiho has few known fears, but the most well known and likely thing to scare this spirit is a canine..._ ' and it goes on. But the point is, we can use—"

"Cujo!" The ghost boy finished with a grin. "I like this plan! But we have to find him first. He could be anywhere in the Ghost Zone!"

"Well, let's get searching then."

* * *

Sam tip-toed up the stairs of the billionaire's lab. Luckily, it seemed that she had arrived in the Specter Speeder unnoticed.

The goth held her breath as she heard muffled voices. The microphones on her earrings were turned up to the maximum sensitivity, so hopefully her friends would be able to hear the same things she did.

For several minutes she listened to the quiet conversation, but nothing struck her as unusual. At least, not evil-Korean-fox-spirit unusual.

The girl crouched against the wall determinedly, prepared to remain there listening until the woman revealed her true intent.

* * *

After a while of roaming around the familiar part of the Ghost Zone, Tucker and Danny were tired.

They had whistled and yelled 'Cujo!' for what felt like hours, as well as squeaking dog toys and holding smelly meat in hopes to attract the green puppy. But unfortunately, the only one attracted to the meat was Tucker himself.

"Maybe we need to try something else..." The ghost boy finally muttered in disappointment. The techno-geek frowned in agreement, and the two began their trip back towards the portal.

" _Hey, guys? If you found Cujo, you'd better get over here_." An urgent voice chimed in their ears.

"We haven't had any luck." Tucker responded. "Did something happen?"

" _They were just talking for a while, but a minute ago everything went silent_. _Something's definitely up._ "

"Okay, I'll come over and stall them. Get out of there as soon as you can." Danny replied before taking off full speed for the other portal, only half-listening to his friends brainstorm about what to do next. Confident that they had it under control, he muted the devices in his ears so he could focus on the task at hand.

After a few long minutes of flying, he finally crossed paths with the Specter Speeder, and the two teenagers waved at each other before heading different directions once again.

Soon he approached the gateway to Wisconsin. He entered the portal as silently as he could, praying that Vlad's ghost sense wouldn't give him away.

The halfa flew up through the ceiling of the lab, flickering into invisibility and listening intently for voices or footsteps. But the house was completely silent, even with his enhanced hearing. A sick feeling rose in his stomach as he began to scour the mansion with no luck.

As he flew past the open doorway that lead to the living room, he saw movement in the corner of his eye. Taking a silent, anxious breath, he doubled back and poked his head in. Jay was standing only feet away with her back to the doorway, looking the same that she had at lunchtime. Standing motionlessly and facing her was Vlad, thankfully still in one piece, but oddly indifferent of Danny's presence which he normally would have noticed by then.

Putting on a brave face, the boy stepped into the room.

" _Hey!_ "

Jay whipped around to see a thin, white-haired boy standing in the doorway, dressed in black and white.

The lady didn't look amused. "Who are you, some anime cosplayer?"

The half-ghost blinked at the statement, barely restraining a laugh and a snippy retort, but he remained serious.

He noticed in surprise that the lady's formerly dark brown eyes were now a bright purple, rivaling even the fiery amethyst of Sam's. Danny's attention shifted to the unmoving man behind Jay, who's eyes were overtaken by the same shade of purple. "What did you do to him?"

"Oh, just a simple spell, really." Jay smirked, looking proudly into the dazed eyes of the billionaire. "Makes him oblivious to my true intentions. Quite useful if I do say so myself."

"I know what you are." The ghost warned, green eyes glowing threateningly.

"I know what you are, too, _halfa_." The woman sneered at the surprised flinch. "In fact, I'm surprised I was able to get away with this for so long. I thought you two were more..." Her eyes twinkled humorlessly. "... _impressive_."

The ghost boy's expression hardened. "We don't have to fight. Just leave him alone and go back where you came from."

" _Hmm_..." The woman seemed to think about it. "No."

The green-eyed ghost stiffened as the hungry spark returned to the lady's purple eyes. She looked between the two males like a child deciding between two toys.

"But I could go for an appetizer." A tongue brushed over blood-red lips, and the boy flickered into intangibility just in time as the woman leapt at him. His eyes widened in shock and fear when he was knocked down despite the fact that he should have phased through the attack.

With a strangled gasp, he struggled to hold back a writhing, snarling animal not much larger than a cat. Razor-sharp claws ripped at his chest and stomach, gouging painfully through his clothing. Hot breath puffed against his neck, dozens of pointy teeth hovering less than an inch from the bare skin and preparing to bite down.

Right in the nick of time, a white blur barreled into the orange one with an enraged hiss. Breathlessly, Danny sat up and stared blankly at the two fighting ghost animals, who clawed and bit and scratched each other ruthlessly.

"Yep... that's a vicious Korean Fox spirit, all right." He wheezed before floating painfully up off of the floor and watching the two fighting ghosts.

* * *

When Vlad was finally torn from his trance, he was greeted with the sight of a shocked and bleeding Phantom, watching a fighting blur of white and orange in the center of his living room.

The first thing he felt was confusion. The last he remembered, he and Jay had been hitting it off quite well, talking and laughing and getting to know each other. There had clearly been something between that moment and what he was currently witnessing, but his mind couldn't seem to piece together what had happened.

A strangled yowl cut through the noise, and the white cat was thrown back, skidding on the wooden floor and slamming roughly into a nearby wall. One ear bled green, halfway torn on one side, and fur had been ripped out in numerous places. One paw was held limply in the air as the feline spat menacingly at the sneering fox.

Now that the motion had ceased, the man could see the other animal in more detail. The she-fox had orange and white fur, resembling the appearance of the living animals, but there were a few unusual details. Her eyes were a bright, oddly familiar purple, which made it painfully obvious that she was supernatural. Also, in the place of a normal bushy tail, there were several spinning appendages, whipping around aggressively in a wide arc. Cuts littered the fox's lithe body, and sparkly dark purple blood leaked out and made drips onto the floor. Teeth were bared in a snarl, and her mesmerizing eyes glared ferociously at each of the three ghosts in the room.

"Um, what exactly is going on here?" Vlad finally spoke up, causing silence in the room as the three other ghosts looked at him.

Danny's eyes met his, and the boy smiled in relief before replying, "It's a long story. Oh, and I really hate to say this... but that's your girlfriend." He sheepishly pointed to the fox.

The man's gaze traveled over to the growling orange animal again, and then to his injured cat. He transformed and glared with rage at the fox, feeling angry that Eleanor had gotten hurt because of him and feeling betrayed by the second person he had let into his life since the accident.

Jay muttered to herself, completely ignoring the conversation. "I was _so close_... it was that girl in black, wasn't it?" Her tails whipped around angrily. "I knew I should have wasted her when I had the chance!" Vlad didn't miss the way Phantom bristled at the threat.

Right on time, the ghosts heard a thump from the hallway followed by excited yipping. With a frightened yelp, the fox bolted, running towards a different exit just as Cujo emerged from the the doorway. Upon seeing the escaping animal, the green puppy grew into his more intimidating form.

" _Go get 'er_ , boy!" Danny shouted, and the green bulldog followed the order with a toothy grin. Aggressive barking and the sound of claws scattering across wood floors echoed throughout the house. "Thank Clockwork _that's_ over."

"Yeah, that was too close." Tucker piped in, emerging from the doorway followed by Sam.

"For the record, I was against this whole idea from the beginning." The girl said, frowning apologetically at the older half-ghost.

The older halfa smiled tiredly in return and drifted across the room, just now noticing the scratches that littered the ghost boy's body. "Are you all right?"

"Are _you_ all right?" The boy repeated with a smirk. "You were the one who was put under some creepy spell and about to be murdered by a Korean Fox spirit."

"Oh, so _that's_ what she is."

Danny shrugged. "We did some research."

"Honestly, why did I expect anything different?" The man sighed. "I guess my love life is even more dead than I thought."

"Even more dead than you?"

"Apparently." The man couldn't manage to hide his concern as he inspected the boy's injuries, wincing at how deep some of the scratches were. "She really got you good, didn't she?"

"Since she's, like, a different kind of spirit than us, intangibility didn't work against her." He explained sheepishly. "So that's why I look like a scratching post right now. But I totally could have done better if I knew that in advance."

"Sorry," the techno-geek said sheepishly, "the internet didn't say anything about that."

"I guess books from the Ghost Zone could have been more informative, now that I think about it." The goth added.

"Well, thank you, all of you. If not for you three, I might not be half-alive right now."

"If not for us, you wouldn't have been in this mess in the first place." Danny chuckled.

Plasmius bent down and gently stroked the purring white cat that had limped over to him. "Come on, let's get you two fixed up."

" _Mrrow_."

* * *

 **Welp, that's all I got. xD Again, thanks so much to** _Ella Le Hissy_ **for giving me this idea! Also, thanks to everyone else who has been giving me their ideas too! I'll definitely try to incorporate them at some point, even if I don't see a place for them right now. This one just happened to be at a good time and I already had a chapter like this in mind.**

 **Next should be a Valerie chapter or another original, depending on which I finish first. Soon after that will be the parody of Masters of All Time, which I have some great ideas for already! So stay tuned!**

 **Also, this fic recently reached 30,000 views! Thanks so much to everyone who is still here even with the super long waits between updates. This has been a wild ride and its not even close to being over! ;)**

 **Well I hope you all enjoyed!**

 **-Specter14**


	18. Heart to Heart

**Guess who's back.. back again :D**

 **Thanks to the following amazing people who favorited/followed this story since last chapter: Fire Dragon Slayer Zim, Nightlock412, The13thReaper, freegirl333, Zaeta Ketchum, The SENDER and the TRAVELER, Davidscrazy234, Darkjaden, BlueXtreme, Aphaxy, HotRodimusMinor, Asj Johnson, AylissaWolf, ItsHoodButItsGood, zakripng, Kuroyuki-Kokuyoku, LK2, dr. metal warrior, werecatninja, Chooch77, NickTsundere, DearlyFicticious, and queenlaur!**

 **Thanks to these extra special people who faved/followed me as an author: Aphaxy and queenlaur! Thank you two so much! :D**

 **Thanks to my awesome reviewers from last chap: Invader Johnny, CeleneTheAngel, Guest, jeanette9a, Rocky Rooster, memmek10k, GhostKing666, CommanderM2, Asj Johnson, and DearlyFicticious! Thanks so much for your feedback! 3 Also thanks to those who asked questions and gave me ideas for future chapters! Y'all are the best!**

 **Without further ado, enjoy the replacement for Flirting With Disaster!**

* * *

 **Heart to Heart**

"Look out!"

The red form zipped to the side just as a flying box nearly hit her. A large ecto-gun formed in her hands, shooting quick pink lasers back at the annoying ghost. Sadly, none of them hit their target.

" _I am the box ghost!_ " The ghost announced for the tenth time that fight. " _How dare you underestimate the awesome power of my cubic containers?!_ "

Another wave of boxes flew towards the two teenagers, who easily dodged the lame attack.

" _Beware! I am the— AHHHH!_ " The ghost screamed as he was sucked into the thermos. " _This isn't the last of meeee-!_ "

"This is the second time today I've had to deal with him." The huntress sighed in annoyance.

"Third for me." The ghost boy replied with an identical sigh. "I have no idea why he keeps coming back so often."

"Must be his obsession. Maybe it's launching his stupid boxes at us endlessly." Valerie laughed.

"Must be." Phantom agreed with a chuckle. He looked up at the evening sky, a breathtaking gradient of orange and blue.

"Oh yeah, I don't think you've ever told me your obsession, Phantom." The girl said curiously.

"That's classified." The halfa said smugly. "And don't you know that asking about a ghost's obsession is considered bad manners?"

She scoffed. "I honestly don't care if a ghost thinks I have good manners or not. Except for you, though. You're different."

" _Different_ , huh?" The boy grinned at the irony. "Why do you say that?"

"You don't try to destroy the town every day, for one thing." The huntress shoved the other teenager jokingly. "Except for the occasional property damage."

"Ha, ha." The ghost boy muttered, playfully shoving her back.

The two floated in silence for a few uncomfortable seconds.

"I should get home." Val said sheepishly. "See you tomorrow?"

"Sure!" He said a little too excitedly, and the girl obliviously turned to leave. "And maybe, would you like to, you know, hang out sometime when our lives and/or afterlives _aren't_ endangered?"

Valerie smiled under her helmet. "That would be great, Phantom." After a brief wave, she was gone.

* * *

Danny sighed as he sat down with his friends at lunch. The day was only half over, and there had already been two ghosts that made him leave class.

Mondays were always rough.

The trio looked up in surprise when Valerie decided to sit down at their table. The halfa could hear the gossiping whispers of the A-List from the center of the large room. Since Valerie was an ex-A-Lister, there was still some bitterness towards her for leaving their group.

"Hey, guys." She said shyly.

"Hey." Tucker greeted. "You know, sitting with us is probably hurting your reputation more than helping it."

"As if I care." The Huntress said with an eye roll, smiling at her new friends.

Danny chuckled at her statement. "Well, you're always welcome here."

The girl seemed to blush. "Thanks." She looked sheepishly at Sam, who fumed at the exchange. Of course, it went completely unnoticed by the ghost hunters' son.

"If you want, we can meet up after school to work on our homework together." Tucker invited, holding back a laugh when he received a kick under the table from the scowling goth girl.

"Sorry, I'm busy this afternoon," Val answered nonchalantly, "but thanks for asking!" The trio looked at each other knowingly. The Huntress was supposed to patrol the town at that time to give Phantom a break.

Little did she know, Phantom was quite literally right in front of her.

Danny had been wanting to tell her for a long time. He had known her identity since the beginning, and he felt guilty that she was left in the dark about so much even after being friends for such a long time.

He thought back to a conversation he had just a few days before...

* * *

 _"Do you think I should tell Val?"_

 _The elder half-ghost paused in thought for a moment before shrugging. "That's ultimately your choice."_

 _"I just think I... might want to be more than friends." The boy said shyly._

 _"Really?" Vlad said in surprise. "What about Sam?"_

 _"What about Sam?" Danny scowled defensively. "I told you several times that we're literally just friends! Besides what's wrong with me liking Valerie?"_

 _"Nothing." The man said after a moment. "But she can be a bit... 'shoot first ask questions later,' if you weren't aware."_

 _"I know." The green-eyed ghost chuckled, knowing fully well of the girl's hotheaded nature. "I want to tell her about my double life first. But I'm afraid that she'll get mad when she finds out I was hiding everything from her." Danny sighed. "I just hope she doesn't start hating me again..."_

* * *

He was startled out of his thoughts by the bell. The four teenagers stood up along with the rest of the lunchroom.

 _Time to conquer the second half of the school day_ , he thought with dread.

* * *

Phantom crept up invisibly behind the unsuspecting Red Huntress, who was floating above the school and intently typing on her cell phone.

He had just come from the Nasty Burger, where he and his friends had gotten a lot of work done on their homework. And since he had the whole afternoon free, why not use that time to annoy Valerie for fun?

He grinned in anticipation of what he was about to do.

Once he was as close as he dared, he turned visible right beside her.

"Hey."

"Ahh!" The phone flew out of her hands and she almost fell off her hover board. "Wha- _Phantom!_ "

He started laughing uncontrollably at her response and flew down to catch her falling phone. "H-how was I supposed to know that would happen?" He shouted up at her, continuing to laugh.

"You jerk." She glared at him and grabbed her phone back out of his gloved hands. She willed her hover board to fly away.

"Aw, you don't hate me now, do you?" He followed her, still out of breath from laughing so hard.

She stopped in midair but didn't turn around. "Not exactly." She sounded annoyed but not angry.

He came up beside her. "Well, your answer wasn't ' _yes._ ' That's a good thing."

She shook her head and sighed. "You're impossible."

"I try."

The teenage girl rolled her eyes, but the ghost boy could almost feel her smiling under her helmet.

"So, any pesky ghosts yet?"

"Besides _you_ , nope. It's been pretty boring actually."

He grinned. "Well you know, the only time you've been in the Ghost Zone, we were being chased around by Skulker and fearing for our lives and/or afterlives."

"Yeah... Let's not do that again."

"Well, how would you like a proper tour?" Phantom wiggled his eyebrows invitingly.

"But if we both leave, won't the town be at risk? And are you sure that it's safe for me to go there again?" The red-clad ghost hunter asked, not sounding very convinced.

He waved his hand dismissively, knowing that his best friends could handle it. "Amity Park will be fine for a while. And don't worry, it's mostly safe... probably..." He coughed and rephrased his statement. "I know my way around."

"I'll be the judge of that." She teased, following the ghost as he zoomed off.

They flew across the town for a few minutes. Some appreciative teenagers below waved as they passed. By now, they were pretty well known as the town heroes. Some of the adults were still suspicious of them, especially of Phantom since he was a ghost, but overall the media and general population was supportive.

"Isn't this trespassing?" The girl questioned condescendingly once they came to a halt outside of the Fenton house.

"Only if they catch us!" He gently took her hand and turned them both invisible and intangible.

She looked back at the house with the huge neon sign reading 'FentonWorks.' "In that case, lead the way."

A few second later, they had descended down to the portal. Luckily, the lab was deserted, and the portal was wide open.

"Ladies first."

She rolled her eyes before hesitantly flying into the swirl of green. The ghost followed close behind, pausing as she stared wide eyed into the never ending atmosphere all around them.

"Last time, I was too busy fearing for my life to notice the beauty of this place." Valerie commented. "Beauty in a spooky way, at least."

"Yeah. It probably doesn't feel very inviting to humans, but it feels like home to me. Being in the Ghost Zone is ghosts' main way of getting energy." He explained.

"Interesting." She said. "Where to first on Phantom's Tour?"

"Anywhere except that way." He pointed to the right. "That's where Skulker's island is, if you don't remember."

"So, _not_ that way. Got it."

"Come on." He led the way, going left of the portal and preparing to point out all of the lairs and landmarks he was familiar with from months of exploring.

* * *

They wandered around for a while, losing track of time. They had run into several benevolent ghosts who were obviously wary of the human ghost hunter, but as soon as Danny introduced them, the tension seemed to lessen.

Valerie was surprised, to say the least. Not too long ago, she had believed without a doubt that all ghosts were evil.

Then she had realized that Phantom was the exception.

 _But he isn't the only exception_ , she thought as she waved goodbye to two friendly senior ghosts who had just rambled on about their childhood adventures and interesting experiences in the Ghost Zone.

"Most ghosts just stay in their lairs and want to be left alone. But some do love to socialize." The ghost boy explained. "So basically, a lot of things that the Fentons believe are misconceptions based on the small percentage of ghosts that come to Earth. There are only a few dozen ghosts that come to Amity to wreck havoc, and as you can see, it's nowhere near the majority."

The girl wordlessly looked around, noticing ghosts talking and laughing in the distance like groups of friends would in a mall. "This is huge. If the Fentons actually saw this for themselves, everything that they assume about ghosts would change!"

" _Could_ change." Phantom sighed, clearly pessimistic about the subject. "But only if they're open to realizing that they're wrong."

"That's true." The Huntress agreed. "But why do they even have that portal in their basement if they haven't gone inside and used it for research?"

"Beats me." He shrugged. "The only thing the portal does is allow ghosts to go in and out freely. But there are occasional temporary portals that open up, and also some ghosts that can create their own portals to the human world. So even _without_ the Fentons' portal, ghosts could haunt the human world if they really wanted to."

She nodded in understanding. "So, overall the portal is a good thing. It allows you to get rid of the ghosts once we catch them, after all."

"Yeah." He said simply before flying on. "So, am I a good tour guide so far?"

"Sure." She laughed and caught up to him. "It's crazy that almost no one knows about this place. No people, I mean."

"Yeah. But there are some ghosts who aren't fond of stuff from the human world being in here. Especially one ghost in particular." He rolled his eyes.

"Who's that?"

"That would be _me_." A deep voice answered from behind them. Phantom's ghost sense went off a few seconds too late.

"Uh oh." He muttered and floated protectively in front of the surprised ghost huntress. "Be ready to run. And by run, I mean fly away as fast as possible."

"You're under arrest, punk. This is the third time you've brought _human contraband_ into our realm." The deathly white ghost growled. "You hybrids never seem to learn."

 _Human contraband? Hybrids?_ The girl thought in confusion and fear.

"She's _not_ human contraband." The halfa replied, green eyes lighting up with anger as scowling guards surrounded them on all sides. "And Plasmius had a deal with you, remember?"

"His pathetic ' _deal_ ' doesn't extend to the likes of you, punk." The warden laughed. "Go tattle to him all you want after your time is served."

"Is this really how you're going to treat _me_ , a savior of the Ghost Zone?" He didn't like playing that card, but he had to do something. "Let us go and we'll leave. Simple as that." He couldn't stop his hands from lighting up aggressively. Valerie summoned a blazing gun, following her friend's lead. The ghosts surrounding them didn't flinch.

Walker only laughed and motioned to his guards. "Secure them."

The two teenagers nervously met eyes, and all of the sudden they shot off in different directions. The warden furiously yelled for their capture. Dozens of green beams from the officers' batons shot past them, only narrowly missing.

A buzzing sound filled the air, and the Huntress yelped in surprise as her suit was electrocuted. Phantom looked back to see Walker holding a taser and smiling triumphantly. Half a dozen ghosts surrounded the sparking suit.

"Hey, let go of me you ghost freaks!" The Huntress growler and struggled futilely.

The white-haired ghost sucked in an angry breath, but before he could do anything, at least two guards grabbed him from behind. Power restricting cuffs were thrown on him roughly.

What was going to be a wail came out as a pathetic coughing fit.

"Nice try, Phantom. But I know about your little tantrum trick. I'll add on another hundred years for resisting arrest." The warden snapped his fingers with a grin, and suddenly the world around them dissolved into darkness.

* * *

" _Fudge buckets... Cheese logs... Shiitake mushrooms..._ " The boy muttered, pacing back and forth in the small cell while Valerie stood off to the side watching amusedly. Her red and black suit was luckily back to functioning normally since it was built to withstand a multitude of attacks, including ghost electricity. The warden hadn't bothered to remove her 'damaged' armor, but it wouldn't be very much help anyway. The cell was obviously ghost-proof, and that trait extended to ghost weapons.

"This is a great tour so far." The girl commented dryly.

"Shut _up._ "

She chuckled, not seeming very concerned about their current situation. "What exactly did you do to make him hate you so much?"

"Oh, Walker? I brought 'human contraband' into the Ghost Zone once a long time ago, and he's held a grudge ever since. I think I owe him, like, two thousand years of jail time by now." He let out a nervous laugh, dreading what was about to happen. "He's nothing like the police on Earth. He has a book full of his own stupid rules that he forces everyone to follow."

"Got any ideas to get outta here?"

"Sort of." He swallowed. "All you have to do is take off your suit. Humans can walk through walls here." _And hopefully Walker hasn't fixed that loophole yet_ , he thought with dread.

"Really?" The suit immediately folded back up into a binder-sized pack, leaving just the human girl standing in front of him. She experimentally touched the wall, gasping when she discovered that the ghost was right. "Woah, cool!" She looked back to the ghost. "Wait, but how are you gonna get out?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I'll be fine. You have to go."

"No! There's no way I'm leaving you here." She crossed her arms, and Phantom's green eyes lit up in annoyance at her stubbornness.

"Just go! I'll find my own way out! I've escaped before!"

"But how?"

"That doesn't matter, just _go!_ "

"No! I'm not leaving you, Phantom!"

"Why not?" He whined. "I'm just a ghost!"

"You're _not_ just a ghost! You're my friend!"

Valerie argued stubbornly. "I'll be right back." She hesitantly stepped through the cell door, poking her head out the other side to see if any guards were in sight. Seeing none, she emerged fully from the wall and began to fiddle with the cell's touch-screen electronic lock. " _Nothing's happening!_ " His enhanced hearing picked up her whisper from outside.

Danny could feel his hands shaking. He knew he was just postponing the inevitable. Unless Val agreed to leave alone, there was no way he could think of to keep his secret intact.

 _Well, this is technically what I wanted, right?_

 _No. I can't do it now. Not like this._

Valerie came back into the cell. "Are you sure intangibility wouldn't work-?"

He tested it quickly in front of her, which was enough of an answer.

She frowned in concentration.

"Please just go. I have an idea! I'll be fine! I promise!"

She bit her lip. "But-"

" _Go!_ "

"What's your idea?"

"A way for me to get out."

"Well, why can't you do it now?"

"Because _you're_ here!" Right after he said it, the ghost flinched at his poorly chosen words.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?!"

The hushed conversation suddenly became a shouting match.

"Why are you so stubborn?"

"Why are you hiding something from me? I thought we were _friends_ , Phantom!"

"Wha-who said I was hiding anything?!"

"You just did! Why don't you trust me?"

"That's not—I _do_ trust you!"

"Obviously not enough!"

He facepalmed. " _Ughhhhh!_ They're gonna kill me the rest of the way for sure this time."

"Wha—the rest of the way? Who?"

"I'm so dead. I'm so dead." He went back to floating back and forth in a frenzy. "I'm stuck in a cell with you, and you're gonna kill me, and they're gonna kill me again afterwards."

She roughly grabbed his shoulders and shook him as hard as she could. " _Stop having a panic attack and just do what you have to do so we can get out of here!_ "

They froze in that position and stared at each other in silence for a few seconds, catching their breath from shouting.

"I'm still so dead."

She took her hands off his shoulders with an eye roll. "I know! You're a _ghost!_ "

"I'm going to be even _more_ dead."

"What does that even mean?!"

He waved off her disgruntled question. "You'll get it in a minute. That is, if you don't shoot me on sight."

"I'm not going to shoot you!"

He sighed tiredly. "You don't know that."

"Listen, I may have hated you at one point, but things are different now. I care about you. To me, you're more human than most humans I know!" She angrily tossed her metal backpack down onto the ground, and it landed several feet beyond her reach. "There's nothing you could do or say that would make me want to hurt you! Why can't you understand that?"

"You have no idea what's about to happen. You'll take that back." He sounded miserable.

She simply shook her head.

He looked down at her discarded weaponry, then back at her. "I don't know where to start."

"We have two thousand years. Is that enough time?"

He rolled his eyes, failing to hold back a choked snicker. "Not nearly enough."

The girl sat down against the wall, reluctantly followed by the ghost.

"Ugh, okay, so I've never actually explained this to anyone before. They just found out on their own by... seeing it happen."

Her expression changed to confusion. "Seeing _what_ happen?"

"I'm just... gonna show you. Then, if you don't kill me afterwards, I can explain. I promise."

She gently grabbed his hand to reassure him and smirked when she noticed a slight green blush.

He took a breath. "Here it goes. Oh, and just a warning, you might wanna shield your eyes."

"What—?" She tensed in shock and scooted away as two hoops of pure white appeared above and below the ghost. The girl watched in shock and raised a hand up to cover her eyes as the they advanced towards each other, filling the dark cell with light.

* * *

Once the blinding light flickered out, she uncovered her eyes and blinked a few times. "What was tha— _WHAT THE_ —?"

"Um... hi." Danny Fenton sheepishly waved from where Phantom had just been sitting. With even the small movement, Valerie could almost envision the white-haired ghost, the exact same height and build, doing the same. Hidden in the black-haired boy's voice was a hint of Phantom's familiar echo.

"... _UHHHH_..."

"Hehe... um... _surprise?_ "

The girl opened her mouth as if to say more, but only succeeded in looking like a fish out of water.

"You did say I was different, remember...?" He said awkwardly. "If only you had known how right you were..."

More shocked silence.

Phantom. Fenton. _Danny_. One and the same? She thought of all the times she talked to Fenton and his friends at school. That had really been Phantom the whole time? And she had fought ghosts for months with the cocky, heroic white-haired ghost she had come to befriend. Had he really been the dorky, bullied kid in her grade, right under her nose?

... _What?_

"Well... this is what I expected, to be honest." He muttered, interrupting her thoughts. "So, uh, do you want to talk about this _now_ , or get out of here first?"

The girl was too busy studying his face almost creepily, as if trying to fit the last pieces of a puzzle together. The boy looked back at her with a guarded expression, obviously scared of what she would say or do.

"I'm sorry that I've been lying to you this whole time. I really wanted to tell you, I just... didn't know how... I was just afraid of how you would react, and there was a possibility that you could, like, turn me in to the government, which is stupid, I know, but I didn't want to take the risk because anyone knowing about this is in danger and also could put me in danger if they told the wrong person, and I—"

"Who else knows?" She interrupted his ramble. Her voice was softer than he must have expected, because he seemed to relax a little.

"Sam, Tucker, Jazz, and pretty much all of the ghosts." He answered simply and truthfully.

"What about Vlad Masters?"

The boy froze in surprise at the name. "What about him?" His voice rose a few pitches.

She noted the reaction, suspecting that there was more to the story than she was being told. "Remember Pariah Dark? You were with Vlad then. And before that, he seemed oddly defensive of you. He knows too, doesn't he?"

Danny pursed his lips for a few seconds before cautiously responding. "Yes..."

 _Everything is starting to make sense,_ She thought before continuing to ask questions. "So, your parents don't know? And how did _this_ ," she awkwardly motioned to him, "even happen, anyway? No offense, but... what even... _are you?_ "

"This is where it turns into a _really_ long story." He said with a nervous laugh.

"In that case," Valerie smiled for the first time since the revelation, "let's get out of here."

* * *

Danny led the way, sticking his head through the wall and looking back and forth for anyone in sight. When he saw no one, he booked it towards where he hoped led to the outside. He heard the girl's light footsteps not far behind him.

His ghost sense went off.

Hearing voices down an adjacent hallway, he flickered into invisibility. The girl gasped behind him, clearly not used to seeing her human friend randomly disappear. He gently grabbed her hand just in time as two guards rounded the corner. She shivered at the cold touch.

The two intimidating ghosts wandered down, checking every cell for evidence of a breakout. The two teenagers held their breaths and backed up against the wall, only feet away from the spirits as they passed.

"The human and hybrid are in a human-proof cell, correct?"

"Should be."

They inspected the outside of the cell that was now empty. "Doesn't seem to be any sign of an escape."

" _All clear._ " The other guard responded into his walkie talkie. "Now, let's go finish that game of checkers."

"You bet. But if I win, you have to take over my cafeteria duty for a week."

"Deal."

After what felt like hours, the prison guards rounded the corner at the other end of the hallway.

When they were out of sight, Danny continued running, closely followed by the huntress. They passed through several walls before they finally reached the outside around the back of the prison. They both sighed in relief when they saw the swirling green sky.

"Well," he transformed back, smirking when the girl flinched and squinted her eyes. "That was fun."

"Totally." The red suit formed around her once again.

"I know this has been an _amazing_ tour, but let's get out of here as quickly as possible."

"I second that."

Phantom led the way back to the portal, the Red Huntress flying alongside atop her hover board.

"Ugh. Now I have to tell Sam and Tuck that you know. They're gonna be mad."

"Well, tell them not to worry. I won't tell a soul." She paused and realized what she just said. "Pun intended."

"Nice one." He laughed. "My whole life is a pun."

"Don't you mean your afterlife?"

"More like _half-_ terlife." He snickered at his own joke, then remembered that she still didn't know a lot about the topic. "Darn, that would have been so much better if you already knew. Halfa and half-ghost are terms that full ghosts use to refer to u—I mean me."

"Oh." She looked over mid flight. "So that's what you are? That ghost warden did call you a hybrid."

"Yep. Half-a-human, half-a-ghost. Get it?"

"That sounds impossible." She shook her head. "I still want to know how this happened."

He smiled as the portal came into view. "In due time."

* * *

When they went back to school the next morning was when the two other members of Team Phantom found out.

In first period before the bell rang, the trio sat down in their seats.

"I have a test today in fifth period." Sam sighed.

"I have one tomorrow." The blue-eyed boy beside her said, frowning at the extreme lack of studying he had been doing.

Valerie walked in, immediately smiling when she saw Danny. She made her way to her seat on the other side of the room.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you last night... Valerie sort of knows now."

" _WHAT?_ " Sam practically shouted, drawing the annoyed attention of the other twenty teenagers in the room. Danny coughed to hide his urge to laugh at the girl's response.

After everyone turned back around and continued their own conversations, the trio resumed theirs.

"How did _that_ happen?" Tucker wondered, not sounding as concerned as the goth girl. "And how are you still alive?" He sounded as casual as if he was asking about the weather.

"We got arrested by Walker, and I honestly don't know."

"You took her into the _Ghost Zone?_ " Sam hissed, staring at her best friend accusingly. "Are you insane?"

He shrugged. "Not my brightest idea, I admit."

"Well at least she can help now with protecting Danny's identity and fighting the ghosts with us." The techno-geek said helpfully, returning his attention to the beeping PDA in his hands.

"You haven't told _you-know-who_ yet, have you?" The purple-eyed teenager asked.

"Nope."

"You need to tell him."

"Yep."

"Quiet down." Mr. Lancer entered the classroom just as the bell rang. "You might want to study for the pop quiz that's happening in the next two minutes. Just some friendly advice."

"Great." Danny said with fake optimism. "What's this on again?"

Tucker shrugged, and Sam sighed knowingly as she pulled out her own detailed notes.

* * *

Before they knew it, it was lunchtime again.

"How much does she know?" Sam asked her ghostly friend. They hadn't gotten a chance to talk much about it until then.

"I already told her almost everything about me. But she knows nothing at all about _you-know-who_ , except that he knows about me." He said sheepishly. "So try not to spill anything until I ask how much he wants to share."

She nodded in understanding. "We can work with that."

Just like the day before, Valerie came over to the trio's table. "Mind if I join you?"

"Sure." Tucker agreed just like he had the day before.

"This is déjà vu if I've ever seen it..." Danny muttered, shaking his head at the thought that yesterday at that time, the girl had no idea about his secret.

"We gotta catch you up on... well, everything." Sam said, trying to warm up to the thought of the Huntress being in their group.

The halfa shrugged. "I already told her most of it." He was interrupted by a breath of icy blue air. The huntress blinked, wondering how she hadn't noticed that happen in school before. "Duty calls. I'll be back."

"Don't die." The techno-geek called back as loud as he dared, taking a bite of his meat-filled sandwich.

"No promises." With that, the younger half-ghost exited the lunchroom.

"If you hurt him, I _swear_ I'll—"

" _Sam!_ "

" _What?_ I was just giving her a warning." The goth girl looked in annoyance to the techno-geek who had just interrupted her.

"What she _means_ is, he's our best friend." The boy took over. "We know your relationship was rocky in the past, which is probably why Sam is being so... touchy."

" _I'm not being touchy!_ "

"So, we just want to protect him. As well as we can, at least." He said, referring to the secret identity aspect of his friend's problems. "And we want to know that you're in on it, too."

"And that you're trustworthy with keeping such a huge secret." The goth girl piped in, sounding significantly more sincere this time, before muttering crossly under her breath. "But there's not that much we can do about that _now_..."

"Of course I'll try my best to protect him." Valerie finally responded, feeling angry and insulted that the two would think anything less of her. "I know that at first, I didn't even give him a chance, and I realized a long time ago that that was a mistake. And now I realize that it was even bigger of a mistake than I thought. I had no idea about... all of this." She sighed, looking around briefly before continuing. "When I got to know Phantom, I realized that I was such an idiot for thinking that all ghosts were evil. It sounds so stupid now, especially knowing Danny and some of the other ghosts I've met. I'll try my best to help out in any way I can. And I will definitely never hurt him again. I _promise_."

The two other teenagers nodded, Tucker appearing more welcoming than Sam for obvious reasons.

"Welcome to Team Phantom."

" _Welcome?_ " The black-haired boy exclaimed from off to the side, looking slightly disheveled and holding a thermos. It seemed he had just gotten back and didn't hear much of the conversation. "My name is literally in the title of our team name and you didn't even wait until I got back to welcome her?"

"Don't give yourself too much credit, ghost boy." Sam muttered with an eye roll. "Who caused you to get those powers, again?"

Tucker burst into laughter. "She got you there."

Danny scoffed. "Fine. I see how it is." He sat down. "Why don't you guys fight the ghosts and save the town alone then? Who needs me anyway?" He threw up his hands in exasperation.

"Don't worry, I can do all of that." Valerie butted in with a smile. "We can be Team _Huntress_ now. How does that sound?"

"I'm good with that." The techno-geek said, taking out his PDA and suppressing a laugh at his half-ghost friend's offended expression.

Sam looked towards the shocked boy, hiding a smile of her own. "Sorry. You've been unanimously replaced."

The bell rang, right on time.

"I leave for five minutes and suddenly I've been kicked off my own ghost-hunting team." Danny sighed, finally unable to hide a smile. "I'm obviously not wanted here. Guess I'll just have to move to Wisconsin, won't I?"

"Guess so." The goth agreed with a lighthearted shove, and the four teenagers went to dump their trays.

* * *

 **So I hope you enjoyed that! I knew I wanted to make a Danny/Val chapter but I wasn't sure if I wanted her to learn his secret quite yet. But here we are. I hope it turned out okay!**

 **I like the DxV pairing in some ways more than DxS, but the ultimate pairing in later chapters will be Sam/Danny. I wanted to throw in a few chapters with Val though, just to mix things up xD**

 **Next chapter will be Masters of All Time... which I have LOTS planned for! I'm really excited for it and I hope you are too!**

 **Anyway see ya next update! :D**

 **-Specter14**


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